UK - Nurse Lucy Letby, Faces 22 Charges - 7 Murder/15 Attempted Murder of Babies #23

[Tortoise]

2:57pm

The court is shown a feeding chart for Child G. A 40ml feed of expressed breast milk was given at 9.15am, signed by Letby.
After the feed, there were 30ml 'two projectile milk vomits', Letby noted. Child G also had a large bowel motion, 'loose, watery green', and there was a 'review by Drs'. The note is signed by Letby. She says she cannot recall which doctors carried out the review from that note.
The 9am reading is recorded on the observation chart for the temperature. Mr Johnson suggests there are two 'dots' in that column recording temperatures. Letby says she cannot recall what the line is below the dot.
NJ: "Did you go back and cook the charts to make it look like [Child G] was declining?"
LL: "No."
Letby says both dots are "in the normal range".
Letby: "I haven't misdocumented anything." Two dots are recorded in the 3am column [when Letby was not on shift], and Letby suggests someone else has misdocumented.

Recap: Lucy Letby trial, May 24 - cross-examination continues

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

www.chesterstandard.co.uk

 

[Becky53]

@MrDanDonoghue
·
4m

Mr Johnson asks Ms Letby 'did it annoy you you were in nursery four' on 21 September shift 'No, not at all no', she says. (nurseries were graded 1-4 based on need, 1 being for highest priority babies)

 

[Tortoise]

Now15:00

Letby accused of changing temperature chart after Child G collapsed​

Next Nick Johnson, the prosecution barrister, moves on to the shift Letby worked on 21 September 2015.
During this shift, Letby was caring for three babies - including Child G - in nursery four at the Countess of Chester Hospital. This is for the babies that were the lowest level of dependency.
Mr Johnson asks Letby if she was annoyed to have been allocated to this room, while less qualified nurses were put in higher dependency rooms.
"Not at all, no," she says.
The court is then shown a copy of Child G's temperature chart. Under the 9am slot, there appear to be two markers.
Letby says she cannot explain why this is, or what the additional mark is on the chart.
"Did you go back after the event and cook the chart to make it look like Child G was declining before she vomited?" Mr Johnson says.
"No," she says.
She says someone may have written it down incorrectly but adds: "I haven't mis-documented anything."

Lucy Letby trial: Facebook searches of nurse accused of murdering babies read out in court

Lucy Letby, a former neonatal nurse, has been back in court for another day of cross-examination by the prosecution on Friday. She is accused of the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of 10 others, and denies all the charges.

news.sky.com

 

[Tortoise]

3:01pm

Letby's notes for that day are shown to the court.
They include... 'at 1015 x2 large projectile milky vomits, brief self resolving apnoea and desaturation to 35% with colour loss. NG tube aspirated - 30mls undigested milk discarded. Abdomen distended, soft. Drs asked to review. Temperature remains low, tachycardiac >18bpm since vomit.'
Mr Johnson says it's "not an innocent coincidence" that Child G deteriorated one hour after being fed by Letby.
Letby: "Yes it is."
Letby is asked to look at her defence statement. It included: "I did not shout for help as I did not think this was an emergency."
Letby is asked if she sought to minimise what had happened. LL: "No."
Mr Johnson refers to Dr Peter Fielding's note. It says: "[Child G] had an episode @~10.20 where she had 2 projectile vomits witnessed by nursing staff...nurse called for help."
Letby denies 'minimising' events, saying this was a "self-correcting" event for Child G.

Recap: Lucy Letby trial, May 24 - cross-examination continues

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

www.chesterstandard.co.uk

 

[Becky53]

@JudithMoritz
·
12m

Nick Johnson KC moves to ask Lucy Letby about the second of three occasions when she's accused of attempting to murder baby G, two weeks after the first occasion in Sept 2015

@JudithMoritz
·
5m

Lucy Letby says she had some concerns about baby G having a low temperature on this second occasion. Nick Johnson KC shows the relevant temperature chart for the baby in which the temps are recorded as being within normal range... (1/2)

@JudithMoritz
·
5m

The barrister points to a column on the chart, in which he says two different temperatures seem to have been recorded. Asks "Did you go back after the event, and cook the chart to make it look like baby G was declining before she vomited?" Lucy Letby - "No"

@JudithMoritz
·
3m

Nick Johnson KC: "It’s not an innocent coincidence that baby G vomited and had to be aspirated an hour after you had fed her, is it?" Lucy Letby: "It is a coincidence"

 

[Tortoise]

I don't really understand what happened with the temperature chart, from the reporting. Is she saying she's not the only one who puts two dots in by mistake, pointing to it happening at 3am as well?

Letby: "I haven't misdocumented anything." Two dots are recorded in the 3am column [when Letby was not on shift], and Letby suggests someone else has misdocumented.

 

[Lincoln34]

I

It won't have been 'raw sewage', of that I am certain.

@marynnu could you explain what aspirating a nasogastric tube means and why it is done and what the aspirates are that are continually being referred to? Sorry if this has been explained in a previous thread but I am confused. Many thanks

 

[Lincoln34]

I don't really understand what happened with the temperature chart, from the reporting.

Me neither

 

[notsure]

This is horrific. Guilty or not, I don't know how she can stand up to this.

 

[Tortoise]

3:07pm

Letby sent in a text to her work colleague: '...looked rubbish when I took over this morning and then she vomited at 9 and I got her screened'
Mr Johnson says that text has two lies in it. Letby accepts she got the time wrong but says she was not asked about Child G's colour. Mr Johnson says Child G was doing well.
Mr Johnson shows a nursing colleague's note from the previous night shift and Letby's nursing note from that day shift. "Any suggestion [Child G] was looking 'rubbish'?"
Letby says Child G looked 'pale', but didn't use "rubbish", in clinical notes.
Letby denies deliberately falsifying times or making up negative observations for Child G.
Letby denies "passing off responsibility to other people", as suggested by Mr Johnson.
NJ: "In fact, you are the person causing all these problems."
LL: "No I'm not."

Recap: Lucy Letby trial, May 24 - cross-examination continues

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

www.chesterstandard.co.uk

 

[Becky53]

@JudithMoritz
·
3m

Court sees a message which Lucy Letby sent to another nurse describing baby G as looking "rubbish". Nick Johnson KC: "Were you trying to create in the minds of your co-workers the impression that this was a child sickening for an infection?" LL: "I wasn’t suggesting anything

 

[Becky53]

@MrDanDonoghue
·
4m

Mr Johnson asks Ms Letby 'did it annoy you you were in nursery four' on 21 September shift 'No, not at all no', she says. (nurseries were graded 1-4 based on need, 1 being for highest priority babies)

I think Dan’s nodded off

 

[Tortoise]

I don't really understand what happened with the temperature chart, from the reporting. Is she saying she's not the only one who puts two dots in by mistake, pointing to it happening at 3am as well?

Letby: "I haven't misdocumented anything." Two dots are recorded in the 3am column [when Letby was not on shift], and Letby suggests someone else has misdocumented.

oh, I think he might mean the temperature was recorded for 3am, and then she's gone and put a second dot on the chart for 3am, showing a poorer reading.

 

[Tortoise]

I think Dan’s nodded off

I think he could be first in the queue for the cafeteria ahead of the next break

 

[marynnu]

@marynnu could you explain what aspirating a nasogastric tube means and why it is done and what the aspirates are that are continually being referred to? Sorry if this has been explained in a previous thread but I am confused. Many thanks

Please don't be insulted, as I'm probably going to say stuff you already know just for completeness!

NG tubes are obviously inserted into a nostril and go down the oesophagus into the stomach. You can get a rough idea how many cms to insert it by measuring the distance ear-nostril-tip of sternum.

NG aspirates are done for 3 reasons. One is to ensure the baby is digesting the feeds. You don't want to see bile for example, which can indicate the gut isn't working properly.
The second is to aspirate excess air due to CPAP.
The third is to be sure the tip is actually in the stomach, as if it isn't in far enough, the baby can choke when fed. This is done by measuring the pH. Gastric aspirate is acidic.

 

[Tortoise]

4m ago15:21

'She likes to celebrate in style': What Letby texted after Child G collapsed​

Nick Johnson, the prosecution barrister, tells Letby it's not an "innocent coincidence" that a large amount of milk had to be removed from Child G an hour after Letby had fed her.
"Yes. it is," Letby says.
Clinical notes from the time say Letby "called for help", but Letby has previously claimed she didn't call for help because she didn't believe it was an emergency.
The prosecution says this is because she retrospectively "sought to minimise" what had happened to Child G.
Child G first collapsed as she celebrated a significant life milestone on the unit.
A text Letby sent to a colleague after the event is shown to the court.
It reads: Oh she likes to 'celebrate the big ones in style' :-(

5m ago15:21

Court adjourns for 15 minutes​

The court is taking a short break and will resume in 15 minutes.

Lucy Letby trial: Facebook searches of nurse accused of murdering babies read out in court

Lucy Letby, a former neonatal nurse, has been back in court for another day of cross-examination by the prosecution on Friday. She is accused of the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of 10 others, and denies all the charges.

news.sky.com

 

[Tortoise]

Now15:27

Court resumes​

Court has resumed for the final part of this afternoon's session.

Lucy Letby trial: Facebook searches of nurse accused of murdering babies read out in court

Lucy Letby, a former neonatal nurse, has been back in court for another day of cross-examination by the prosecution on Friday. She is accused of the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of 10 others, and denies all the charges.

news.sky.com

 

[Tortoise]

Now15:28

Letby says Child G 'looked rubbish' when she came into her care​

Letby complained to a colleague that Child G "looked rubbish" when she took over her care on 21 September 2015.
"Are you trying to persuade your mates on the unit this was one of those things, that this was a child sickening for an infection?" Mr Johnson asks.
Letby denies this.
In the text, Letby also tells her colleague the infant collapsed at 9am, not 10am. She denies she changed the time to avoid suspicion.

Lucy Letby trial: Facebook searches of nurse accused of murdering babies read out in court

Lucy Letby, a former neonatal nurse, has been back in court for another day of cross-examination by the prosecution on Friday. She is accused of the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of 10 others, and denies all the charges.

news.sky.com

 

[Tortoise]

3:30pm

The trial is resuming after a short break.
Mr Johnson asks Letby to look at her defence statement for the 3.30pm incident for Child G.
Letby said she looked round the screen and saw Child G's monitor was off, she was alone, and behind the screen.
Mr Johnson asks if that was correct.
Letby: "Yes."
The statement adds Letby wanted the matter of Child G being left alone on the procedural trolley behind the screens by a doctor, but a nursing colleague did not want to report this.
Letby agrees it was "an innocent coincidence" that she was the only nurse in the room at this time.
Mr Johnson said Letby had told in evidence that Letby was preoccupied with other babies in the room she was caring for, while doctors tried to cannulate Child G behind screens "for some time".

Recap: Lucy Letby trial, May 24 - cross-examination continues

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

www.chesterstandard.co.uk

 

[Becky53]

I think he could be first in the queue for the cafeteria ahead of the next break

Back with a choco latte and kit Kat

@MrDanDonoghue
·
3m

We're back after a short break - Mr Johnson is taking Ms Letby back over her defence statement, in regards to the events on 21 September