Lucy Letby trial – ‘I am evil, I did this’: Read the ‘confession note’ written by nurse accused of murdering seven babies
A neonatal nurse accused of murdering seven babies left a handwritten note that read “I am evil. I did this”.
On day four of Lucy Letby’s trial at Manchester Crown Court, the prosecutor Nick Johnson KC told jurors about a series of notes that the police found.
On one green Post-it note, which was shown to the court, she had written: “I don’t deserve to live. I killed them on purpose because I’m not good enough to care for them.”
She also wrote: “I am a horrible evil person” and: “I AM EVIL I DID THIS”.
Read latest developments from court
Letby is accused of murdering and attempting to kill babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital where she worked
Letby, 32, from Hereford, is accused of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder 10 others at the Countess of Chester Hospital. She denies all the charges.
‘I’ll never marry or have children’ – Letby
Her defence barrister said she was “adamant” she had not harmed any children and said the note was written by an “anguished woman in despair” who was realising the enormity of what is facing her. It said that the note was written when Letby was facing disciplinary proceedings at work.
A line in the note, which was shown to the court, said Letby has an “overwhelming fear… I’ll never have children or marry… I will never know what it’s like to have a family… despair.”
Ben Myers KC, defending Letby, said that the note “does not accurately reflect” what had happened, but was written by Letby as she “poured her feelings onto paper as a way of coping”.
Lucy Letby’s defence barrister said that the note “does not accurately reflect” what had happened
He blamed “inadequate” standards of care at the Countess of Chester Hospital and said at least one of the deaths was an “inevitable” outcome given the child’s prematurity.
Read more: Lucy Letby trial – day three
In the case of Child J, who was born with a perforated and necrotic bowel, he said that the hospital was “well out of its depth” when it came to treating the infant.
He concluded his opening statement by saying: “This whole case is a complex case, it is not straightforward. And in that dock is a young woman who says this is not her fault.”
The children and their families are not being named by the media and are referred as Children A to Q.
Child P was one of two triplets the prosecution claims were killed by Letby. Their brother survived because he was in another room.
A day after Child P died, Child Q was attacked by Letby, the prosecution said.
Mr Johnson said Letby falsified medical records to give herself an alibi at the time of Child Q’s sudden collapse.
Apart from three days the following week, this was to be the last time Letby would work at the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Doctors grew suspicious about ‘cold-blooded’ Letby
“Cold-blooded” Letby tried to kill one “resilient” girl four times “before succeeding”, the court was told.
The nurse was also questioned by police about why she had sent a sympathy card to the baby’s parents.
By April 2016, consultants at the hospital had grown suspicious of Letby – moving her off night shifts because of concerns about the “correlation between her presence and unexpected deaths/life-threatening episodes”.
One consultant began to feel “uncomfortable” when he realised Letby was alone with a child. When he walked into the room, he noted that the infant’s breathing tube was dislodged.
“We alleged she was trying to kill Child K when the paediatric consultant walked in on her,” Mr Johnson told the court.
The trial continues.
Martin Lewis says motorists who were mis-sold car finance are likely to receive “hundreds, not thousands of pounds” – with regulators launching a consultation on a new compensation scheme.
The founder of MoneySavingExpert.com believes it is “very likely” that about 40% of Britons who entered personal contact purchase or hire purchase agreements between 2007 and 2021 will be eligible for payouts.
“Discretionary commission arrangements” saw brokers and dealers charge higher levels of interest so they could receive more commission, without telling consumers.
Pics: PA
Speaking to Sky News Radio’s Faye Rowlands, Lewis said: “Very rarely will it be thousands of pounds unless you have more than one car finance deal.
“So up to about a maximum of £950 per car finance deal where you are due compensation.”
Lewis explained that consumers who believe they may have been affected should check whether they had a discretionary commission arrangement by writing to their car finance company.
However, the personal finance guru warned against using a claims firm.
“They’re hardly going to do anything for you and you might get the money paid to you automatically anyway, in which case you’re giving them 30% for nothing,” he added.
Read more: How to tell if you’ve been mis-sold car finance
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Who’s eligible for payout after car finance scandal?
Yesterday, the Financial Conduct Authority said its review of the past use of motor finance “has shown that many firms were not complying with the law or our disclosure rules that were in force when they sold loans to consumers”.
The FCA’s statement added that those affected “should be appropriately compensated in an orderly, consistent and efficient way”.
Lewis told Sky News that the consultation will launch in October – and will take six weeks.
“We expect payouts to come in 2026, assuming this will happen and it’s very likely to happen,” he said.
“As for exactly how will work, it hasn’t decided yet. Firms will have to contact people, although there is an issue about them having destroyed some of the data for older claims.”
He believes claims will either be paid automatically – or affected consumers will need to opt in and apply to get compensation back.
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The FCA estimates the cost of any scheme – including compensation and administrative costs – to be no lower than £9bn.
But in a video on X, Lewis said that millions of people are likely to be due a share of up to £18bn.
The regulator’s announcement comes after the Supreme Court ruled on a separate, but similar, case on Friday.
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