A British nurse who is standing trial for murdering seven babies in 2015 and 2016 allegedly observed a 3-day-old girl so closely before her death that it raised suspicion from the victim’s parents.
Lucy Letby, 32, is accused of killing the baby in 2015 by injecting air into her bloodstream at Countess of Chester Hospital. The baby’s mother testified that Letby “hovered” over her daughter as her condition worsened to the point she asked her husband to tell her to “go away and give us some privacy,” according to Perth Now.
The victim’s mother alleged that despite this, she later saw Letby next to a doctor who was performing CPR on her daughter after she suddenly declined in the middle of the night.
The infant girl is believed to have been the third baby killed by Letby, who by that point, allegedly harmed a baby who survived. In total, she is accused of killing seven babies and injuring 10 more.
The victim’s mother testified that her daughter was born “limp” and practically motionless. A doctor allegedly told her it was because she was born via a c-section — a claim she said she did not believe, according to the BBC.
Despite this, the newborn appeared to have been responding to treatment before her sudden death, the news outlet reported.
According to Perth Now, the victim’s mother also testified that Letby was in the room with her daughter and did not appear to be tending to her before her sudden decline.
“She was sort of looking at the machines,” she stated. “I asked if everything was okay and she said, ‘Yes, she’s fine’.”
In court, Letby has denied claims that she injected air into the victims’ bloodstream and gave them insulin.
In another case, the former nurse allegedly tried to kill a premature baby girl on three instances before she was successful. Afterward, she reportedly sent a sympathy card to the victim’s parents.
Previous testimony also linked Letby to the slaying of a 1.7-pound baby who reportedly had air forced into his stomach via a nasogastric tube. An expert testified that the boy was thriving at the time of his sudden death. The expert stated that he was “potentially at risk of complications” after birth, and he was receiving routine treatment for pneumonia. However, the expert concluded that pneumonia did not kill the newborn.
The trial continues.
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[Featured image: Lucy Letby/Police Handout]
