UK - Nurse Lucy Letby, Faces 22 Charges - 7 Murder/15 Attempted Murder of Babies #26

[Penny68]

3:26pm

The trial is now resuming after a short break. Mr Johnson moves to the second incident on September 21, 2015 for Child G.

He says this is when Child G was having a cannula inserted behind a screen at about 3.30pm, and there were problems with insertion. Child G was put on to a trolley to carry out the procedure.

A nursing colleague said, in evidence, she had contacted police one month prior, to say Letby had not switched off the monitor in this event, and one of the doctors had apologised to her for not putting the monitor back on. Dr Gibbs said if the nursing colleague said it was true, he accepted it was true.

Dr David Harkness said the monitor was "definitely not turned off" said they were "so keen to get fluids going again" for Child G, as it had been 6 hours since she last had fluids, and Child G was 'not just left alone'. In cross-examination, it was put to him he had previously said collapses among neonates of Child G's age was quite common.

He replied that was his experience in Chester, but his experience in other places since had showed that was not the case, and now refuted the suggestion.

Mr Johnson says the nurse was out of the room for Child G, and Letby was in room 4 with Child G. The nursing colleague said Child G was back in the cot, after hearing Lucy Letby shouting for help.

Letby had said she moved Child G from the trolley to the cot and Neopuffed her. Mr Johnson says it is not a credible suggestion.

Dr Gibbs had said "whatever the position was with the monitor", he would have made sure Child G was stable when he left her, post-cannulation, and would have told someone he had finished with the cannulation.

Mr Johnson says if the nursing colleague wasn't in the room, the other person who would have been contacted would have been Letby.

Mr Johnson says this is another occasion where Letby had attempted to kill Child G.

The nursing colleague said she could not remember a conversation about being cross that Child G had been left alone on a trolley with the monitor off, or that a Datix form should be filled in for that event.

3:28pm

Dr Dewi Evans said the first September 21 incident was all indicative that Child g had been overfed with "potentially catastrophic consequences".

Dr Sandie Bohin said it was "basic arithmetic" - two large milky vomits, plus 30mls aspirate, meant Child G was fed much more than she should have been.

Recap: Lucy Letby trial, June 21 - prosecution closing speech

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

 

[Penny68]

3:36pm

Mr Johnson turns to the case of Child H.

He refers to a form from the Countess of Chester Hospital to Arrowe Park for transfer, shown to the court, of Child H's deterioration and the chest drains used.

The form ends: 'The acute epsidoes with desaturations and bradycardias do not seem to be directly related to the respiratory problems'

Child H's mother said Child H was "like a completely different baby at Arrowe Park".

Mr Johnson says Child H had respiratory distress syndrome, which is "not unusual" for a neonatal baby, and was not particularly premature.

There were two events where Child H desaturated which were unusual.

Cross-examination of Letby said staffing levels did not contribute to the collapse of Child H. She "always had one-to-one nursing care" and the delay in issuing surfactant did not have anything to do with the collapse, Mr Johnson says.

Mr Johnson says for the two counts, the tube was not blocked and staff could hear air going in and out of Child H's lungs.

Recap: Lucy Letby trial, June 21 - prosecution closing speech

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

 

[Penny68]

3:54pm

Professor Arthurs, a professor in radiology, "made a signficiant contribution" to the debate on chest drains, Mr Johnson said.
He said chest drains do not normally cause bradycardia or desaturations, and chest drain positions are not examined in detail as they do not cause problems.

He said the interpretation of a chest drain position was his area of expertise. He said in his opinion, the chest drains were in the space they were supposed to be.

Mr Johnson says the jury don't have to accept his evidence, but there is no evidence to contradict it.

Mr Johnson says the first significant collapse happened on September 25-26, 2015. Letby was the designated nurse in room 1. No other babies were in room 1.

The father's statement was read out to court. He said he and his wife had spent time in the neonatal unit until September 25.

He said he had been there until 'about midnight', had come back to the house, and was awoken by a call needing to go back to the hospital. He said when he got back, "I definitely remember Lucy being there, doing the chest massaging. It was explained to us [Child H] had a collapse.

"[Child H] was a very strange colour - I remember the mottling was running out of her skin towards her fingers."

Letby, in nursing notes: '...2330 bradycardia and desaturation requiring neopuff in 100% to recover. 10ml ai[r] aspirated from chest drain by Reg Ventress. Following poor blood gas and 100% oxygen requirement consultant Gibbs attended the unit and inserted a 3rd chest drain'

Mr Johnson says 2330 is the time put in by Letby. Dr Ventress recorded '2350 Several episodes of desaturation in past two hours...'

Mr Johnson said Letby had told her of 'several' episodes - "where has that come from?"

Dr Ventress: '1st one after gas taken (good gas)...'. Mr Johnson says Letby wrote on an intensive care chart a desaturation to 52% at 2210, which does not appear "at all" in the notes.

Mr Johnson says there is nothing in the observation charts to suggest there is anything wrong during this period. He says the parent has an uneventful night before he left.

The doctor is given a long list of problems, but there is nothing in the nursing record to what Letby told Dr Ventress.

Mr Johnson says this was getting other people to record problems for a child when none existed, as was the case for Child E.

NJ: "[Child E] hadn't got a problem, until Lucy Letby caused a problem."

Dr Ventress had recorded a second chest drain was "almost out". Mr Johnson says moving chest drains was a "very effective way" of sabotaging a child, as would moving an ET Tube.

Recap: Lucy Letby trial, June 21 - prosecution closing speech

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

 

[Penny68]

4:03pm

Mr Johnson says Child H was in "very, very poor shape", and after being in arrest for 22 minutes, the father noted the mottling.

Dr Gibbs ruled out all natural causes for Child H. He ruled out involvement of the chest drains.

Mr Johnson says the evidence of Prof Arthurs 'puts this all to bed anyway'.

For the second event for Child H, Dr Matthew Neame believed Letby was the designated nurse for Child H on that shift, when it was nurse Shelley Tomlins. Mr Johnson says Letby had 'elbowed her colleague aside'.

Letby had messaged her colleague that night: 'I've been helping Shelley so least still involved but haven't got the responsibility'.
Mr Johnson says this builds Letby's 'plausible deniability'.

He says "we know" Letby was supposed to be in nursery room 2, not in room 1 where Child H was.

Mr Johnson says it shows the state of mind Letby was in that night, similar to the state of mind for when she killed Child C.

Recap: Lucy Letby trial, June 21 - prosecution closing speech

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

 

[Penny68]

4:06pm

Mr Johnson says this was another case where a child was desaturating "to life-threatening levels" despite good air entry. The ET tube was checked by Shelley Tomlins and there was no blockage.

"Mercifully, [Child H] was revived." An x-ray showed there was no issue with the pneumothorax.

The father said Child H was ok in the day, then it was 'shortly after' he had gone to get some rest when he had a knock on the door to go and be with Child H at the cotside as she had deteriorated.

Mr Johnson says this was "yet another opportunity" for Letby to sabotage a child.

Recap: Lucy Letby trial, June 21 - prosecution closing speech

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]

Letby had said she moved Child G from the trolley to the cot and Neopuffed her. Mr Johnson says it is not a credible suggestion.

A small point perhaps, but if you need to Neopuff - or more - the last thing you do is put a baby in a cot as access is relatively poor. Cot babies are moved to a resuscitaire if they need help. In this case leaving her on the trolley would make most sense. JMO.

 

[Penny68]

4:14pm

Dr Neame recalled it was Lucy Letby who briefed him on the second collapse for Child H.

He recalled he was more concerned by this second collapse.
A further collapse occurred at 3.30am despite Child H having 'good air entry', and she was transferred to Arrowe Park, where she recovered quickly.

Dr Evans said the pnemothoraces were not the cause of the arrests. He ruled out infection as a cause of the collapses, as they were rapid and catastrophic collapses, she was on antibiotics, and a lumbar puncture proved she did not have an infection. He was "at a loss" to explain the collapse, but it was "not one of natural causes".

Dr Bohin said there were delays with the surfactant. She said she could find no clinical or mechanical cause for the collapses. She said she had never known a chest drain to cause collapses, or stresses by the baby resulting in a cardiac arrest.

Professor Arthurs saw "no problem" with the chest drains. Mr Johnson says the chest drains can be ruled out as a problem. He adds there was no disease or mechanical factor, and it was "undoubtedly" sabotage by Letby.

He says both collapses happened "just after" Child H's parents had left, which had "parallels" with other cases, and was a "signature" of Letby's work.

Recap: Lucy Letby trial, June 21 - prosecution closing speech

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

 

[Penny68]

5:07pm

A round-up story from today: Lucy Letby 'lied about not remembering baby she allegedly murdered'
The Standard will be continuing to provide live coverage from the prosecution closing speech on Thursday, June 22.

Recap: Lucy Letby trial, June 21 - prosecution closing speech

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

 

[Dotta]

Yes, she thought they were going to emerge from it looking "silly". IMO

I really think you are right.

If guilty...

Did she think she could carry on attacking patients indefinitely and nobody would be any wiser?

Her (alleged) arrogance and stupidity is astounding.
Is she for real???

I think that (if guilty) her delusions completely took over her.

Listening to Prosecution now she must be shocked and reeling that her (alleged) cunning and "gaslighting" proved transparent and easy to see for intelligent investigators.

It must be real blow for her Ego.

"They will be looking silly"
What a silly comment!

Unbelievable

JMO

 

[Music2022]

These closing arguments are horrific beyond comprehension. All murders are sad but wow. Even compared to other medical killers, these are such violent slow painful deaths and to babies who harmed no one. I’m finding it hard to accept this is possible, surely such evil can’t exist, but the closing arguments are painting a clear scary picture.

 

[Diddly1]

The babies were LL’s play things and it is truly sickening, what kind of person gets their thrills from torturing teeny tiny innocent babies. All my opinion

 

[Parker Knoll]

Very sobering reading again, maybe a controversial opinion but I hope the prosecution wraps up the closing speech tomorrow.
I feel that the jury will have put all the pieces of this case together by now.
MOO

 

[May72031]

Interesting that after the first 4 collapses and the text exchange with LL’s colleague where LL learned that other colleagues were talking about how similar the sudden unexpected unexplainable deaths were. There was a month long gap with no collapses until baby E & F in August. If guilty, could this gap have been intentional after realising 3 deaths in such quick succession would arouse suspicion?

Indeed. Also, LL mentioned there was talk of an investigation at this point. Sadly, this particular investigation was seemingly never carried out at that time.

 

[katydid23]

Dan O'Donoghue

@MrDanDonoghue
·
6h

Mr Johnson has been taking the jury back over what various nurses and doctors, responding to Child D when she collapsed, said in regards to the unusual rash/mottling on her body

He says Ms Letby has often said in evidence that she does not remember that being discussed at the time - but Mr Johnson pulls up a note from a doctor, in which he notes that nurses had reported unusual mottling

Mr Johnson quotes Ms Letby's police interview, in which she said she did not remember Child D - and then he says 'without a hint of irony' told police, when they asked what impact a death like this had on staff, 'you don’t forget things like that, they stay with you'

 

[katydid23]

Dan O'Donoghue

@MrDanDonoghue
·

We're now back after a break. Mr Johnson is moving on to Child G. She was born in May 2015 and was the most premature of all the babies.

The court heard that in mid-August 2015, she was transferred from Wirral's Arrowe Park Hospital and was "clinically stable" until 7 September, when she projectile vomited at about 02:00 BST.

Prosecutors said Ms Letby overfed Child G with milk through a nasogastric tube or injected air into the same tube and made two more attempts to kill her on 21 September.

Mr Johnson says Child G was a 'fighter' and was overperforming, despite her low birth weight and prematurity - then she had 'the gross misfortunate to meet Lucy Letby'

Mr Johnson tells the jury that Child G's 'large projectile vomit' on 7 September 2015 could not be given a natural explanation, he says it was the 'handy work of Lucy Letby'. The nurse is alleged to force-fed the baby girl with milk

Mr Johnson has pulled up the below image - the black circles indicate where vomit was seen.




6:27 AM · Jun 21, 2023
·

 

[Sundial]

Very sobering reading again, maybe a controversial opinion but I hope the prosecution wraps up the closing speech tomorrow.
I feel that the jury will have put all the pieces of this case together by now.
MOO

It’s all unbelievably disturbing and yet so utterly heartbreaking and sad. It doesn’t bare thinking that someone could actually do something so harrowing, cruel, inhumane and horrific.

If guilty.
JMO

 

[Tortoise]

[...]

"Prosecutor Nick Johnson KC said experts for the prosecution had told Manchester Crown Court at least 12 of those received an air injection.

[...]

He said they should "put all the pieces of the jigsaw together" and suggested the "cumulative picture" told only one story, that Ms Letby "tried to murder or murdered these children".

[...]

He alleged that swelling noted by a doctor in Child C's vocal chords indicated that "something had been put down his throat".
This was also a feature in the cases of Child E, Child G, Child H and Child N, he said.

[...]


Mr Johnson also noted how Ms Letby's defence counsel, Ben Myers KC, had repeatedly questioned witnesses about the competence of Ms Ellis, who Ms Letby had called the "new girl" in messages to colleagues.

[...]

"It's trying to create in the impression in your minds that something was seriously wrong with the hospital," he said, adding: "It's gaslighting you, doing to you what Lucy Letby did to her colleagues."

Lucy Letby trial: Nurse had favourite way of killing, jury told - BBC News

One of Lucy Letby's favourite ways of harming babies was by injecting air, a prosecutor tells a jury.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[katydid23]

Dan O'Donoghue


Mr Johnson notes what Dr Ventress said about Child G, she saw the baby had blood-stained secretions coming from the vocal cords at one point. 'What caused the throat of an otherwise well baby to bleed? Lucy Letby. It was a signature of many of her attacks on these babies'

Mr Johnson has dealt with another incident in relation to Child G on 21 September 2015. The court has previously heard that at around 15:30 Child G was cannulated by doctors and placed on a Masimo monitor, a portable device that continually measures oxygen saturations


A nurse, who cannot be named for legal reasons, previously told the court that shortly after the procedure Ms Letby shouted for help from the nursery where Child G was being cared for. She said she responded and saw Ms Letby "responding appropriately"

The nurse said she noticed that the monitor had been switched off, which was "not normal protocol", but refuted any suggestion Ms Letby had turned it off. She said that doctors John Gibbs and David Harkness had apologised to her for not turning the monitor back on


Mr Johnson says this interaction was not noted down and neither Gibbs nor Harkness can remember it. He says the prosecutions view is that Ms Letby 'saw a baby behind a screen and thought she would attack it'

Child G survived, but suffered permanent brain damage.

 

[May72031]

Very sobering reading again, maybe a controversial opinion but I hope the prosecution wraps up the closing speech tomorrow.
I feel that the jury will have put all the pieces of this case together by now.
MOO

Reading other people's comments (here and elsewhere), I don't see many people who are still 'on the fence' There has been a significant change in people's opinion of the trial in the last month.

 

[katydid23]

Dan O'Donoghue

@MrDanDonoghue
·
3h

Mr Johnson now turns to Child H, he says like with other babies in this case - once she was 'removed from the orbit' of Lucy Letby she improved. Mr Johnson quotes the child's mother, who said she was 'like a completely different baby' at Arrowe Park Hospital

Mr Johnson noted that Child H crashed after her parents had ended their visit, he said this was something to repeat in other cases - when they 'disappeared the opportunity presented itself to Lucy Letby to sabotage another child'

That's it for today, back tomorrow morning - Mr Johnson indicates he may finish his closing speech then. Defence closing, led by Ben Myers KC will follow