Lucy Letby to face retrial on charge of trying to murder baby girl, court told

The court has announced that Lucy Letby is going to have a second trial for the accusation of trying to murder a newborn baby girl.

A 33-year-old ex-nurse was convicted in August for killing seven infants and trying to murder six others at the Countess of Chester hospital located in the north-west region of England.

The group of individuals deciding the case were not able to come to conclusions on six additional charges of trying to murder three female newborns and two male infants. The accusation against the defendant was that she attempted to harm one of the babies on two separate occasions.

On Monday in Manchester Crown Court, the prosecutor, Nick Johnson KC, announced that Letby would be retried for the attempted murder of a baby girl in February 2016, while the other charges would not be pursued.

According to Mr. Justice Goss KC, the courts are facing a significant number of cases, leading to a lengthy waiting period for a new trial. As a result, the earliest available date for a new trial is scheduled for 10 June 2024.

However, he stated that a further trial should not occur until the judges have made a decision on granting Letby the opportunity to appeal her initial convictions.

Letby has been given several whole-life terms and will spend the rest of her life in prison. This punishment is rare for women in the UK, with Letby being only the fourth woman to receive it.

Letby didn't attend the conclusion of her trial and her sentencing, but she was able to watch remotely through a video connection to a conference room at HMP New Hall in West Yorkshire. She verified her identity and acknowledged that she could hear the legal discussions taking place.

A legal ruling forbids the disclosure of the names of the children who were involved in the accusations, whether they are alive or deceased.

Tamlin Bolton, who works for Switalskis law firm and is representing seven families, expressed dissatisfaction with the CPS's choice to not pursue a retrial for all the cases.

We are of the opinion that the families of the additional purported victims still have unresolved inquiries and they should be informed about the details of their children's predicament.

"After the CPS decision, those families will have to explore different avenues to obtain the information they seek."

Later, Jonathan Storer, who holds the position of top prosecutor at CPS Mersey-Cheshire, expressed: "It was very challenging and intricate to make the choice about whether we should proceed with retrials for the remaining attempted murder charges."

We carefully considered the opinions of the families affected, the police, and prosecution counsel before coming to our final decision. We took into account various factors, including the evidence presented during the lengthy trial and how it would affect our legal requirements for pursuing a prosecution.

We have spoken with every family impacted by these choices to clarify how they were made.