UK - Nurse Lucy Letby Faces 22 Charges - 7 Murder/15 Attempted Murder of Babies #14

[Cardgame]

First of three triplets 'killed' by nurse Lucy Letby was murdered with injection of air into his bloodstream, medical expert says​

• Dewi Evans says there is no evidence that Baby O's death was accidental
• The leading paediatrician thought the case mirrored that of Baby B

Baby killed with injection of air by nurse Letby, medical expert says

Dewi Evans, a leading paediatrician called in by the prosecution, said he could see no evidence that the collapse of Baby O could have been accidental.

www.dailymail.co.uk

In the aftermath of O's death on the neonatal unit it was discovered that he had suffered a bleed to his liver.

Dr Evans told the jury at Manchester Crown Court he believed the infant's fatal collapse had been caused by the bleeding.

'There is no other reason why this baby could have collapsed, and not only collapsed but where resuscitation was unsuccessful. My feeling was that what came first was the liver haematoma, the liver trauma.

We've heard from the local medical team about the resuscitation they carried out, but the chest compressions didn't get near the liver'.

The paediatrician thought the case mirrored that of Baby B, one of a set of twins, who survived what the prosecution allege was similarly injected with air.

'This was repeating the pattern I'd seen in the second case,' he said. 'It seemed to me that O had been given an injection of air…and I think the injection of air will have caused the final collapse'.

Asked for his own view, he replied: 'My opinion was that his terminal collapse was consistent with him being the victim of an air embolus. I couldn't see any evidence that this could have been caused accidentally'.

Lucy Letby trial: Nurse tried to murder baby a day after doctor asked for her to be removed from duties, court hears — Sky News

A nurse tried to murder a baby just a day after a hospital executive refused to remove her from her duties despite staff concerns, a court has heard.

t.co

Dr Evans rejected an allegation by Ben Myers KC, defending, that his view amounted to simply 'coming up with a mechanism to support this allegation'.

Dr Sandie Bohin, the second paediatric expert brought in by Cheshire Police, also attributed the baby's death to an air embolus. She believed the air had been introduced via a nasogastric tube.

Cross-examined by Mr Myers about the discoloration seen on Baby O's abdomen, she said such markings had been seen in other cases in the trial.

She added: 'Certainly the medical and nursing personnel are sure they've not seen them before or since, but have said that they were graphic'.

She believed that in Baby O's case air could have been placed into his nasogastric tube at the time of a feed.

When interviewed about the alleged murder Letby told detectives that mottled skin was seen regularly in neonates, though not 'to this extent'.

She said she remembered the infant's abdomen repeatedly swelling up. His death was 'unexpected: and it had left her feeling 'shocked and upset'.

Letby agreed she had been caring for Baby O alone at the time a registrar – the one she was frequently messaging on Facebook at the time – had gone to speak to his parents.

When asked who had harmed the baby, she replied: 'It wasn't me'.

She recalled messaging a nursing colleague to suggest a cause of death as sepsis or NEC, a serious inflammation of the gut. She thought that at the time because 'it was a discussion they had all had' on the unit.

When asked who harmed the triplet, you might think she would answer ' no one! He was ill!' rather than ' it wasn't me'.

Was she trying to imply that Dr Choc hurt the baby????

 

[Becci]

Dr Evans rejected an allegation by Ben Myers KC, defending, that his view amounted to simply 'coming up with a mechanism to support this allegation'.

that's how i see it but that gets turned around to LL changes her methods to fit

When asked who harmed the triplet, you might think she would answer ' no one! He was ill!' rather than ' it wasn't me'.

Was she trying to imply that Dr Choc hurt the baby????

I would've probs said what she said to be honest.
I wouldn't have thought that far ahead

 

[katydid23]

Recap: Lucy Letby trial, Wednesday, March 8

The trial of Lucy Letby, who denies murdering seven babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit and attempting to murder 10 more, is…

www.chesterstandard.co.uk

IN MOM'S WORDS:


The mother was taken to see all [3] baby boys, and handled all of them.


All the triplets were in nursery room 1, and they were all brain scanned, with no concerns.

The following day, the mother was taken to see the triplets, and was informed all were doing well.

She said she asked on numerous occasions, about expressing milk, but no-one came to help until after Child O passed away, when a nurse called Lucy handed her an information leaflet.

On June 23, the mother was in the ward and still struggling to walk. About 10-15 minutes after the father had been to the unit, he came back with a consultant doctor, who informed her Child O's stomach had swollen and 'needed a little help to breathe, so a tube had been put down his throat'. He was calm and said this was normal.

The mother was put into a wheelchair, and upon arrival at the nursery, she said: "By the time I got there, it was a scene of chaos". A lot of doctors and staff surrounded Child O.

"I remember nurse Lucy was there, all the time."

"The staff appeared to be in a state of panic, and it didn't seem controlled at all."

The mother said she sat outside, and could not bring herself to be too close, as Child O kept arresting and changing colour. "He was swollen all over his body".

At some point, another doctor arrived and told the mother "things weren't looking good" for Child O, and said if he did survive, he would likely have brain damage.

Child O passed away at 5pm.

Child P and the other boy were in nursery room 2.

The mother said: "This whole episode had come like a bolt out of the blue. On the face of it, everything seemed to be going well with the triplets.

"As a family, we were naturally devastated.

"With hindsight, there were a number of things we found unusual."

The mother said she didn't expect a student nurse to be looking after one of the babies.

She said they kept seeking reassurance that the other two boys were fine.

A doctor, who was "quite upset", said she was very sorry for what had happened to Child O, and photos were taken of the baby boy.

The mother said she didn't sleep at all that night. She, at one point, asked the midwife to check if the other two boys were ok. She was reassured they were fine.

The following day, they went to the neonatal unit and were informed by a nurse the two boys had "been like angels", behaving all night and feeding regularly.

The mother recalled having breakfast and freshening up.

She then heard voices and saw a midwife was present and advised to go to the neonatal unit, as Child P was unwell.

"I was devastated. A couple of hours earlier he had been fine.

"I called my mum to tell her it was happening again."

When she arrived, she said it was "like deja vu" and the situation was "chaotic" with people "running around" in nursery room 2, where both boys were.

The mother said she sat outside "for long periods of time".

At one point, a young doctor looked to be Googling 'how to insert a line'.

They needed to do this process as Child P's lungs had collapsed during CPR.

"This alarmed me".

The mother was informed they were looking to transfer Child P to Liverpool, but they needed to stabilise the baby first as he kept collapsing.

She was told things were "looking a lot more hopeful" for Child P - he looked veiny, but his stomach was not distended like Child O's was.

At some point, the transport team arrived. The reaction from the transport team was "incredible to watch" as "they just took over".

'Even the consultant took a back seat'. "We were reassured, he seemed calm."

Child P passed away.

The mother said she and her partner "begged" the transport team to take the surviving boy with him to Liverpool Women's Hospital.

The mother said she had to discharge herself from the Countess of Chester Hospital, and asked for her care to be transferred to Liverpool. "They refused, which was the last thing I needed."

The mother travelled to Liverpool, having stopped to pick up some clothes along the way, and were .

"We were just made to feel at ease - the two hospitals felt like night and day."

The staff said the surviving baby boy could be treated there for as long as there was a bed available, but did not need intensive treatment.

The surviving baby stayed at the hospital for three and a half weeks.

The mother said she was "surprised" there was not 1:1 nursing care for the triplets, and a student nurse was looking after them, with Lucy Letby 'popping in'.

Lucy Letby was "extremely emotional" and "in pieces" after Child P passed away. She was "in floods of tears", the mother said. A doctor also arrived and "was also upset".

Also:

It was decided that as the transport team were already present, they would take the surviving boy to Liverpool Women's Hospital, as they were not sure if there was a congenital condition.

A doctor informed the family there would be post-mortems for Child O and Child P to establish the causes of death.

 

[katydid23]

[while on holiday, before returning to care for babies O,P and Q]
Letby responds to a Whatsapp from colleague Jennifer Jones-Key that she is working Thursday, Friday and Saturday, on her return from holiday.
She adds: "Yep probably be back in with a bang lol"

[Ironic text from LL]

Recap: Lucy Letby trial, Wednesday, March 8

The trial of Lucy Letby, who denies murdering seven babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit and attempting to murder 10 more, is…

www.chesterstandard.co.uk

 

[marynnu]

Is it possible that something reminded her? I mean like these "remember one year ago" things that phones tend to randomly throw at you?

Personally I would say no. As a nurse you just move on & deal with the next patient, to be brutal. In my experience you remember the incident if it's very unusual, but the names & dates just disappear. And nobody wants to dwell on tragic events, do they?

 

[Cardgame]

Personally I would say no. As a nurse you just move on & deal with the next patient, to be brutal. In my experience you remember the incident if it's very unusual, but the names & dates just disappear. And nobody wants to dwell on tragic events, do they?

Didn't she tell the police she didn't remember the specific babies too?

But she'd been looking up their parents on Facebook?

IMO the Facebook searches are among the most damning pieces of evidence. I can't think of any innocent reason why LL would be doing this.

But it does add credence to the theory that, if guilty, her driving force was to do with the parents suffering as well as perhaps the act itself. JMO.

 

[LadyEdgeworth]

Is it possible that something reminded her? I mean like these "remember one year ago" things that phones tend to randomly throw at you?

How though? Facebook memories is just things either posted by you, things you have been tagged in, or things posted on your wall on that date over the years. The random collages my Iphone makes are pics taken on or around that date too.
So whilst something could have popped up that triggered the memory of it being the anniversary, she still had to remember the full names/surnames of the babies/parents. Sometimes she had minimal interaction with these people and she's remembering their full names for a year? In my opinion, she was keeping them noted down somewhere.

MOO

 

[esther43]

I agree.

What About Hidden Cameras?

I know that hidden cameras have been legally used when a parent is strongly suspected of harming a baby in hospital, as part of a case being prepared for court. I’m not sure of the legal steps necessary in the UK.

Excellent police work could be used in conjunction with this.

I think, if healthcare professionals and the police seriously believe that a nurse is killing babies, an application for hidden cameras should be made possible

I’m wondering if the atmosphere between these two was electric to the point of being noticed by others, (apart from the other nurse who mentioned matters in a text). I’m wondering about the apparent ‘wooing’ chocolates, sweets, offer of his car for her to drive home and he would call round to her place to collect it. She had his attention all right.

That's true, she didn't really 'need' to do much more. The guy was already a walking vending machine.

 

[esther43]

How though? Facebook memories is just things either posted by you, things you have been tagged in, or things posted on your wall on that date over the years. The random collages my Iphone makes are pics taken on or around that date too.
So whilst something could have popped up that triggered the memory of it being the anniversary, she still had to remember the full names/surnames of the babies/parents. Sometimes she had minimal interaction with these people and she's remembering their full names for a year? In my opinion, she was keeping them noted down somewhere.

MOO

She did write 'twin resus' in her diary once.
Then of course there are the hand over notes.( I think child Q's were also also found at home.) Which could have been used for reference purposes.
Whilst it would make more sense to have everything written in an ordered place, if you were capable of committing such crimes but also partly in denial and not wanting to be caught, I could imagine a person dotting bits around, taking more of a scattered approach.
I do this with bills for example, when I'm in denial that they need to be paid, I scatter them around, live among them and when I feel like it, I open them and pay them. Other people will open them and deal with them straight away.
Could be the same with LL, she's living among the evidence but due to her denial, her resources are scattered.
Moo

 

[LorriB]

IMO it's still of some significance, when you look at which babies collapsed/died prior to this. As ColourPurple says, quite a few were 32 weeks plus.

Yes but still 4 of the 7 babies LL is accused of killing probably wouldn't have been there at the hospital when it was downgraded.

<modsnip>

 

[DianaWW]

Wouldn’t the average deaths be lower when the unit downgraded though? So it wouldn’t really take the number down to the ‘new’ average if you discount those babies. Anyhow, I think the difference the Dr was referring to, was the unexpected collapses and deaths stopped. Not that all collapses and deaths did. JMO

 

[marynnu]

Wouldn’t the average deaths be lower when the unit downgraded though? So it wouldn’t really take the number down to the ‘new’ average if you discount those babies. Anyhow, I think the difference the Dr was referring to, was the unexpected collapses and deaths stopped. Not that all collapses and deaths did. JMO

Well, he did say there were 'no sudden collapses'. Which is what you expect with babies 32 weeks & above, unless they have a serious problem which you'd be aware of such as severe infection, a heart defect etc.

 

[marynnu]

When asked who harmed the triplet, you might think she would answer ' no one! He was ill!' rather than ' it wasn't me'.

Was she trying to imply that Dr Choc hurt the baby????

I was just about to post about that "it wasn't me" response when I saw your post! I too found it a bit odd. If innocent I'd imagine you'd find the idea quite ridiculous.

 

[MsBetsy]

[while on holiday, before returning to care for babies O,P and Q]
Letby responds to a Whatsapp from colleague Jennifer Jones-Key that she is working Thursday, Friday and Saturday, on her return from holiday.
She adds: "Yep probably be back in with a bang lol"

[Ironic text from LL]

Recap: Lucy Letby trial, Wednesday, March 8

The trial of Lucy Letby, who denies murdering seven babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit and attempting to murder 10 more, is…

www.chesterstandard.co.uk

She wasn't kidding when she said she'd be back with a bang.

 

[JosieJo]

Personally I would say no. As a nurse you just move on & deal with the next patient, to be brutal. In my experience you remember the incident if it's very unusual, but the names & dates just disappear. And nobody wants to dwell on tragic events, do they?

I agree it's so "unusual"

 

[MsBetsy]

When asked who harmed the triplet, you might think she would answer ' no one! He was ill!' rather than ' it wasn't me'.

Was she trying to imply that Dr Choc hurt the baby????

I think she is just admitting the baby was harmed, like she admitted the insulin poisoning couldn't have been done accidentally.

Clearly she believed police knew there was foul play, but I do wonder if she told them she suspected anyone.

I would think they would have asked her who she thought could be responsible since she insisted she didn't do anything wrong.

 

[Dcflag]

But during the investigations they probably found some kind of medical explanation, otherwise there would be charges or further investigations. JMO

Not necessarily. It could mean that while unusual they haven’t meet the threshold for a charge, or that they couldn’t feasibly find a link to LL.

It’s hard to say, only because I imagine they investigated every single death and collapse even if they knew the causes, so inevitably some are likely ruled out due to medical explanation, but there is definitely the possibility that they just can’t get the proof they need to charge her with others.

 

[MsBetsy]

I’m wondering if the atmosphere between these two was electric to the point of being noticed by others, (apart from the other nurse who mentioned matters in a text). I’m wondering about the apparent ‘wooing’ chocolates, sweets, offer of his car for her to drive home and he would call round to her place to collect it. She had his attention all right.

She apparently lived with a man at the time of her arrest according to a neighbor.

It couldn't be him, could it? I would think he hightailed himself out of there after the devastation she allegedly caused.

How did Lucy survive emotionally once she was moved to clerical duties? Did she still have the praise and support of her colleagues?

I wonder if she ever went for counseling. Does the hospital provide therapy for employees or do they have to find help themselves?

If she's had thyroid problems since age 12 it must have been very difficult. Going through adolescence is hard enough with all the mood swings and hormones going crazy.

I wonder if she had a bad experience with therapy and that's why she said she could not go and didn't want to talk about it?

Or perhaps she felt she didn't need therapy or was afraid of what might come to light?

 

[katydid23]

Mel Barham

@MelBarhamITV
·
2m

I’m at court again listening to the evidence in the murder trial of nurse Lucy Letby who denies killing 7 babies and attempting to murder 10 others

 

[Becci]

She apparently lived with a man at the time of her arrest according to a neighbor.

It couldn't be him, could it? I would think he hightailed himself out of there after the devastation she allegedly caused.

How did Lucy survive emotionally once she was moved to clerical duties? Did she still have the praise and support of her colleagues?

I wonder if she ever went for counseling. Does the hospital provide therapy for employees or do they have to find help themselves?

If she's had thyroid problems since age 12 it must have been very difficult. Going through adolescence is hard enough with all the mood swings and hormones going crazy.

I wonder if she had a bad experience with therapy and that's why she said she could not go and didn't want to talk about it?

Or perhaps she felt she didn't need therapy or was afraid of what might come to light?

Out of curiousity how long was she on admin?
That would've been very degrading if innocent & especially having started to pick up on the gossip about you.
I would've told em to stick there job but she carried on.
That casts doubt on her wanting to work to cause harm.
She must've needed the money to keep up with the morgage & live & that's why she didn't take time off like dr b suggested.