Lucy Letby, the British neonatal nurse who was convicted of murdering seven newborns and attempting to murder six others, has been given her fifteenth life term.
Letby, aged 34, received a sentence at Manchester Crown Court on Friday, July 5, according to a statement from Cheshire Police.
The former healthcare worker was sentenced after being convicted of the attempted murder of a premature newborn girl, referred to as newborn K, shortly after her birth in February 2016. The sentencing occurred on July 2, following a retrial.
Letby had already faced allegations of the crime, but the jury was unable to come to a decision, along with her other convictions from last year.
Letby was in court for her sentencing, as reported by the BBC. As she was escorted away from the dock, Letby addressed Judge Justice Goss and proclaimed her innocence, according to the outlet’s story.
According to the BBC, the ex-nurse was accused of intentionally removing a breathing tube that was connected to Baby K soon after she was born at the Countess of Chester Hospital in England.
The jury reached a consensus that the former nurse thereafter positioned herself next to the newborn girl’s incubator in the neonatal unit and observed her blood oxygen levels decline without taking any action. As reported by the BBC, Dr. Ravi Jayaram, a consultant pediatrician, witnessed Letby entering the room at approximately 3:45 a.m., catching her in the act.
The premature infant, delivered at 25 weeks gestation and weighing 1 lb 8 oz at birth, was transferred to a different medical facility where she passed away three days thereafter. As per the BBC, prosecutors have not accused Letby of causing the girl’s death.
Throughout her preceding 10-month trial at Manchester Crown Court in 2022 and 2023, Letby was charged by prosecutors of forcefully administering milk to infants, poisoning some with insulin, and injecting others with air.
In August 2023, she received 14 life sentences following her conviction for the homicide of seven infants and the attempted homicide of six more at the Countess of Chester Hospital in England during the period of 2015 to 2016. She was found guilty on 14 out of a potential 22 charges.
Letby has continuously refuted any involvement in the fatalities.
During her sentencing on July 5th, Judge Justice Goss stated that Letby had “callously refused to accept any responsibility for her actions, displayed no remorse, and there were no factors that could lessen her culpability,” as reported by the police.
Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Evans stated that this sentence once again highlights the accurate magnitude and seriousness of Letby’s appalling offenses.
Furthermore, it emphasizes the arduous ordeal that Baby K’s parents have undergone in court, where they had to endure highly traumatic and disturbing evidence regarding their newborn daughter while facing persistent denials from Letby. “They have had to do this not once, but twice,” she continued.
“Although the pain and suffering they have endured cannot be erased, I trust that the substantial sentence and the fact that Letby will be imprisoned for the remainder of her life will provide some solace during their most difficult moments.”
Evans commended Baby K’s mother for demonstrating remarkable fortitude and bravery when she delivered her victim impact statement in court, in the presence of Letby.
“The experience was genuinely distressing to hear and serves as a clear indication of the anguish and hardship that she, along with her spouse, has endured for an extended duration,” she supplemented.
The mother of Baby K expressed in her victim statement, acquired by PEOPLE, the profound emotional distress caused by her daughter’s death, as well as the prolonged six-year period before Letby’s first trial and subsequent retrial.
“Writing this statement required several months of mustering the courage to confront the box containing the painful and anger-inducing memories that were set aside in order to maintain a somewhat normal daily functioning. This, in turn, leads to feelings of guilt, as a part of oneself wishes to bury these difficult and painful emotions. However, it is important to acknowledge that our daughter, our firstborn, is an integral part of our family and deserves a significant presence in our thoughts and daily routines,” she expressed.
“Baby K is absent and will never be present, thus we will never attain the tranquility, resolution, or sense of being a whole family.” The message continued by asserting that Lucy Letby will never inflict harm against another child or experience the luxury and happiness that children provide.
