Lucy Letby found guilty of trying to kill two-hour-old baby

Lucy Letby has been convicted of attempting to harm a newborn baby girl just two hours old in the same hospital unit where she killed seven other babies.

The person known as a "cold-hearted, deliberate murderer", who is currently serving 14 life sentences without parole, was found guilty on Tuesday of trying to kill the "very premature" baby after a second trial at Manchester crown court.

The baby, referred to as Baby K, was born very early, 15 weeks before the due date, and only weighed 692g (1.52lbs). The former neonatal nurse was accused of changing the baby's breathing tube, leading to a dangerous decline in the baby's health.

The baby passed away three days after being born. Letby was first accused of killing her, but later on, prosecutors determined that there was not enough proof.

Authorities decided to retry Letby for attempted murder after the first trial ended without a unanimous decision from the jury. The retrial lasted three weeks, during which Letby maintained her innocence.

The parents of Baby K cried and put their hands on their heads when the jury announced their decision, which was agreed upon after three and a half hours of discussion.

In a message from the family outside of the court, Detective Inspector Andrea Price from Cheshire Police expressed their feelings of deep sadness, shock, anger, and disbelief. They said losing a baby is a terrible experience that no parent should have to endure, but finding out about the harm that was caused in this situation is beyond imagination.

For the last seven to eight years, we have endured a difficult and emotional journey twice. First, we experienced the heartbreaking loss of our newborn child and grieved deeply for her. Then, years later, we were shocked to learn that her death could be viewed as suspicious. This unexpected revelation was incredibly difficult to process.

"Today, the nurse who was supposed to take care of our daughter has been convicted of harming her, which brings a sense of justice. However, this does not erase the deep pain, anger, and suffering we have all endured."

The family expressed their sorrow over the possibility of never understanding the reasons behind Letby's attempt to harm their daughter.

Letby, a 34-year-old woman from Hereford, showed no emotion and looked directly ahead when informed that she would receive her sentencing on Friday.

She has been found guilty of killing seven infants and trying to kill seven more at the Countess of Chester hospital from June 2015 to June 2016.

The police are still looking into the matter and there is an official investigation to determine how Letby was able to stay in the neonatal unit even though senior doctors had concerns.

Letby, who has always said she didn't do it, was not allowed to try to change the court's decision from last year.

In a lengthy decision released on Tuesday, the appeal court stated that Letby's legal arguments were not valid and that she did not meet the requirements for presenting new evidence.

The nurse's most recent challenge focused on Baby K, who was delivered at the Countess of Chester hospital in the early morning hours of February 17, 2016.

Prosecutors claimed Letby tried to kill the baby around an hour and a half after she was born by moving her breathing tube right after the nurse had walked away. This resulted in the baby's blood oxygen levels dropping to a dangerously low point, according to the court proceedings.

At that point, she had killed five babies and tried to kill three more. Experienced doctors had connected her to several mysterious events, but she continued working in the neonatal unit for another five months. During that time, she murdered two triplet brothers by injecting air into their stomachs.

She was caught in the act of trying to harm Baby K, the prosecution argued, when a senior doctor discovered her alone next to the infant's incubator after she had interfered with the baby's breathing tube.

The expert, Dr. Ravi Jayaram, stated that Letby was not providing any assistance to the child while she struggled to survive. It was mentioned in court that the alarm on the baby's monitor seemed to have been quieted.

The nurse allegedly manipulated Baby K's breathing tube two additional times in the hours that followed, trying to make her coworkers believe that the sedated newborn had accidentally removed it.

Nicola Wyn Williams, a top lawyer at the Crown Prosecution Service, characterized Letby's behavior as that of a "calm, deliberate murderer".

The police officer, DCI Nicola Evans, from the Cheshire police department, commended Baby K's parents for their bravery, determination, and toughness. She also said, "A nurse who was supposed to take care of and protect a vulnerable, premature baby instead betrayed that trust in a horrific manner. The ongoing denials have caused a lot of pain for Baby K's family as they had to endure a trial and another trial. No one should ever have to go through the suffering they went through."

Letby stated that she had never hurt any babies and that she was innocent of the charges against her.

The person on trial explained to the jury that she couldn't recall what happened that night and had no recollection of Baby K besides knowing that she was born prematurely. She couldn't understand why she had looked for the child's relatives on Facebook over two years later.

Investigators are reviewing the documents of approximately 4,000 infants who were under Letby's care while she worked as a pediatric nurse at Liverpool Women's Hospital and the Countess of Chester. These hospitals are located in the northwest region of England.

Cheshire police are looking into potential corporate manslaughter and are investigating the actions of top leaders when the deaths occurred.

In September, an investigation led by Lady Justice Kathryn Thirlwall will start to look into how Letby was allowed to keep working with infants, even though senior doctors had flagged their concerns about her involvement in several questionable cases.

Dr Nigel Scawn, who is in charge of medical matters at the Countess of Chester hospital NHS foundation trust, expressed sympathy for the family and loved ones of Baby K. He also expressed deep regret that these terrible crimes took place at their hospital.