UK - Nurse Lucy Letby Faces 22 Charges - 7 Murder/15 Attempted Murder of Babies #6

[LadyEdgeworth]

11:32am

Ben Myers KC, for Letby's defence, expresses his sympathy for what the mum has gone through, and says that nothing he says will seek to minimise anything the mum did in caring for her twins.
The mum confirms these were her first babies.

11:34am

The mum is asked if any of the times she said to the court were not correct, on her recollection, given she made a statement to police two years after the events.
The mum confirms the time she went to the neo-natal unit on August 3, 2015 was correct.

11:35am

Mr Myers suggests the mum went down at about 8pm, at the time of the hand-over, and went down at about 10pm with the breast milk, and went again when Child E was being resuscitated.
The mum says she "absolutely" disagrees with that.

Recap: Lucy Letby trial, Monday, November 14

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

 

[Music2022]

Mum said she was on the ward for 10 mins. What was happening during those minutes? Was LL still standing around doing nothing to help the baby? Was the baby screaming all that time?

 

[Tortoise]

Hhmmm.....how likely is it that you would do something to a baby that causes bleeding, and then leave it to be discovered by another person (medic, parent etc...). Surely you would clean it up? Unless she saw the mother coming and moved away from the incubator, leaving the blood on his face?

Perhaps LL heard the doors to the unit opening before the mother entered. I think it's more odd that she didn't attend to the baby immediately he started screaming, the mother could hear him in the corridor before she entered the room. It sounds like she had an answer for the source of the bleeding as soon as the mother asked.

 

[Music2022]

11:35am

Mr Myers suggests the mum went down at about 8pm, at the time of the hand-over, and went down at about 10pm with the breast milk, and went again when Child E was being resuscitated.
The mum says she "absolutely" disagrees with that.

Why would she ring her husband at 9:11 being upset and worried? His timeline doesn’t make sense.

 

[Eloise]

Why would she ring her husband at 9:11 being upset and worried? His timeline doesn’t make sense.

The defence are really grasping at straws IMO

 

[LadyEdgeworth]

11:37am

Mr Myers says, for that supposed 9pm time, the observations were the screaming and the blood coming out of Child E's mouth. The mum agrees.
Mr Myers asks, for the crying, there were other staff about at the time.
"At no other time did any other staff come into the room, did they?"
"No."

11:39am

Mr Myers suggests the screaming was "not as bad as that [horrendous]."
The mum says it was horrendous.
Mr Myers asks about the blood seen.
The mum says, other than around the chin, the other blood seen was above the lip, and no blood anywhere else, and the blood was "not coming out" or "going on the bedding".

11:42am

The mum agrees with her statement the blood was "not fresh".
The mum says, and nods, it was blood.
Mr Myers asks about the midwife seen. The mum says this was the first time she had seen this midwife, as there had been others seen, and she was "distraught".
She said she was "distraught" and "knew there was something very wrong".
She confirms the first name of the midwife, when asked by Mr Myers if the midwife was "Susan Brooks".

Recap: Lucy Letby trial, Monday, November 14

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

 

[cuecard]

These poor families. I know the defence have a job to do - and I understand that - but to suggest to a mother the situation was not as “horrendous” as she recalls is pretty crass.

 

[BabaVanga]

These poor families. I know the defence have a job to do - and I understand that - but to suggest to a mother the situation was not as “horrendous” as she recalls is pretty crass.

It’s horribly disrespectful I feel so awkward reading what’s being said to this poor mother

 

[LadyEdgeworth]

11:45am

The mum said she told her husband "there was something very wrong", cannot remember telling the midwife that, but said she was very upset at the time.
Mr Myers says, for the 10.52pm phone call, she mentioned to her husband about the blood coming out of Child E.
The mum says she does not remember the 10.52pm phone call as the midwife got in contact with the husband.
Mr Myers suggests the mum was not as worried at the 9.11pm phone call as she was at 10.52pm.
The mum says she disagrees with that.

11:48am

Mr Myers says he suggests the mum went with the breast milk as 'late as 10pm', that Lucy Letby never mentioned the tube was 'irritating Child E'.
The mum disagrees with both those suggestions.
The mum says she did not see anyone else at 9pm when she went to the unit.
Mr Myers asks if there was a conversation between Letby, a doctor, and her, regarding medication.
The mum says she disagrees, and said she was told by Letby the registrar 'would be down [to the neonatal unit room]', but did not make an appearance.

11:49am

Mr Myers asks about the resuscitation attempt. The mum says she could not see what was going on, other than several medical staff being present at the time.
The mum says she is now aware there are bereavement procedures, such as memory boxes.

11:50am

Mr Myers asks about the discussion with the post-mortem was with a female doctor. He asks if it was because there was 'little point' in having one, according to the doctor.
The mum says she felt 'persuaded' not to have one in that case.

Recap: Lucy Letby trial, Monday, November 14

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

 

[cuecard]

It’s horribly disrespectful I feel so awkward reading what’s being said to this poor mother

Yeah, it’s very uncomfortable. It’s bad enough having to go through all this but to be told the situation was not as horrible as you recall must be very hurtful.

 

[Tortoise]

https://twitter.com/JudithMoritz

Lucy Letby's defence barrister Ben Myers KC is cross-examining baby E's mum. He suggests that baby E wasn't upset to the degree she's described. Baby E's mum: "It was horrendous". BM KC: "I suggest it wasn’t as horrendous as you were saying".

 

[LadyEdgeworth]

11:54am

The mum is asked, by Nicholas Johnson KC, about the appearance of the blood on Child E. It was "stained - not dripping, smudged. It didn't look completely dry, but it was darker."
She says it is "really hard to explain" the colour. It was "not bright red, it was darker than that. I don't know how else to explain that."

11:54am

That completes the mum's evidence.
The father will give evidence shortly.

Recap: Lucy Letby trial, Monday, November 14

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

 

[Dcflag]

Is there nothing in Baby E’s notes about the blood/screaming incident? If not.. shouldn’t there be? Sounds like something that should be noted, even if it is bleeding from the tube irritating his throat, it could be important to know in further care/handover etc? And if there is.. surely that will clarify the time it happened?

If there is no notes.. doesn’t that just show LL as either incompetent, or trying to hide the incident happened? There’s no other reason NOT to record it.

 

[Tortoise]

https://twitter.com/MrDanDonoghue

Ms Letby's defence lawyer Ben Myers KC is now cross examining the mother - he puts it to her that Ms Letby never told her that blood around Child E's mouth had been caused by a feeding tube. The mother rejects this

 

[LadyEdgeworth]

What an incredibly brave woman, that was actually hard to read so god knows how she must feel. She really held her own and I hope she gets justice

 

[Eloise]

https://twitter.com/JudithMoritz

Lucy Letby's defence barrister Ben Myers KC is cross-examining baby E's mum. He suggests that baby E wasn't upset to the degree she's described. Baby E's mum: "It was horrendous". BM KC: "I suggest it wasn’t as horrendous as you were saying".

This is such an awful thing to say. I know he has a job to do and what his job entails but surely he could have phrased this differently. No, it really was every bit as horrendous as she was saying no matter who or what was responsible.

 

[Kemug]

This is so so sad and horrific - I am beginning to wish I had never started following this case.

 

[LadyEdgeworth]

Is there nothing in Baby E’s notes about the blood/screaming incident? If not.. shouldn’t there be? Sounds like something that should be noted, even if it is bleeding from the tube irritating his throat, it could be important to know in further care/handover etc? And if there is.. surely that will clarify the time it happened?

If there is no notes.. doesn’t that just show LL as either incompetent, or trying to hide the incident happened? There’s no other reason NOT to record it.

Letby's notes also show: "prior to 21:00 feed, 16ml mucky slightly bile-stained aspirate obtained and discarded, abdo soft, not distended. SHO [Senior House Officer] informed, to omit feed."
The prosecution say the nursing notes made are false, and fail to mention that Child E was bleeding at 9pm

This is from the documents & discussion thread

 

[Music2022]

I assume the father wasn’t in court to hear the mums testimony? Can you imagine how livid he would be now had he heard his wife being questioned like that.

 

[Dcflag]

https://twitter.com/JudithMoritz

Lucy Letby's defence barrister Ben Myers KC is cross-examining baby E's mum. He suggests that baby E wasn't upset to the degree she's described. Baby E's mum: "It was horrendous". BM KC: "I suggest it wasn’t as horrendous as you were saying".

Horrendous, not horrendous. The baby was screaming, that’s not disputed. What on earth is his problem here?