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.
Donald Trump may be denied the honour of addressing parliament on his state visit to the UK later this year, with no formal request yet submitted for him to be given that privilege.
It comes after President Macron’s successful state visit this week, in which he was invited to speak in front of both Houses of Parliament.
Sky News has been told the Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, hasn’t so far received a request to invite the US president to speak in parliament when he is expected to visit in September.
It was confirmed to MPs who have raised concerns about the US president being allowed to address both houses.
Kate Osborne, Labour MP for Jarrow and Gateshead East, wrote to the speaker in April asking him to stop Mr Trump from addressing parliament, and tabled an early-day motion outlining her concerns.
“I was happy to see Macron here but feel very differently about Trump,” she said.
“Trump has made some very uncomfortable and worrying comments around the UK government, democracy, the Middle East, particularly around equalities and, of course, Ukraine.
“So, I think there are many reasons why, when we’re looking at a state visit, we should be looking at why they’re being afforded that privilege. Because, of course, it is a privilege for somebody to come and address both of the houses.”
But the timing of the visit may mean that any diplomatic sensitivities, or perceptions of a snub, could be avoided.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron addressed parliament during his state visit this month
Lord Ricketts, a former UK ambassador to France, pointed out that parliament isn’t sitting for much of September, and that could help resolve the issue.
In 2017, he wrote a public letter questioning the decision to give Donald Trump his first state visit, saying it put Queen Elizabeth II in a “very difficult position”.
Parliament rises from 16 September until 13 October due to party conferences.
The dates for the state visit haven’t yet been confirmed by Buckingham Palace or the government.
However, they have not denied that it will take place in September, after Mr Trump appeared to confirm they were planning to hold the state visit that month. The palace confirmed this week that the formal planning for his arrival had begun.
Mr Trump has said he believes the trip to the UK will take place in September. Pic: Reuters
When asked about parliamentary recess potentially solving the issue, Ms Osborne said: “It may be a way of dealing with it in a very diplomatic way… I don’t know how much control we have over Trump’s diary.
“But if we can manoeuvre it in a way that means that the House isn’t sitting, then that seems like a good solution, maybe not perfect, because I’d actually like him to know that he’s not welcome.”
A message from the speaker’s office, seen by Sky News, says: “Formal addresses to both Houses of Parliament are not automatically included in the itinerary of such a state visit.
“Whether a foreign head of state addresses parliament, during a state visit or otherwise, is part of the planning decisions.”
Mr Trump made his first state visit to the UK in June 2019 during his first presidency. File pic: Reuters
It’s understood that if the government agrees to a joint address to parliament, the Lord Chamberlain’s office writes to the two speakers, on behalf of the King, to ask them to host this.
It will be Mr Trump’s second state visit.
During his first, in 2019, he didn’t address parliament, despite the fact that his predecessor, Barack Obama, was asked to do so.
It was unclear if this was due to the fact John Bercow, the speaker at the time, made it clear he wasn’t welcome to do so.
However, it didn’t appear to dampen Mr Trump’s excitement about his time with the Royal Family.
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Speaking earlier this year, he described his state visit as “a fest” adding “it’s an honour… I’m a friend of Charles, I have great respect for King Charles and the family, William; we have really just a great respect for the family. And I think they’re setting a date for September.”
It is expected that, like Mr Macron, the pageantry for his trip this time will revolve around Windsor, with refurbishment taking place at Buckingham Palace.
Fuel to the engines of the Air India plane that crashed last month appears to have cut off shortly after take-off, a preliminary report has found.
According to the report switches in the cockpit that controlled fuel moved to a “CUTOFF” position.
It said: “Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of one second.
“The Engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their take-off values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off.”
The crash site. Pic: AAIB
There was then confusion in the cockpit. In the voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why he “cut off”. The other pilot responds that he did not do so.
There were no conclusions as to how the switches were moved.
One of the engines was able to be restarted, but could not reverse the plane’s deceleration, the report found.
“At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to Boeing 787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers,” India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said in the report.
A diagram in the report shows how the plane crashed into a building. Pic: AAIB
No significant bird activity was observed in the vicinity of the plane’s flight path, the report said. The aircraft started to lose altitude before crossing the airport perimeter wall, it added.
The plane plummeted into a busy area, killing 241 passengers and 19 others on the ground while incinerating everything around it.
The AAIB’s report is based on the initial findings of the probe, marking 30 days since the crash.
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Liverpool have retired the number 20 shirt in honour of Diogo Jota – the first time it has made such a gesture.
The club said it was a “unique tribute to a uniquely wonderful person” and the decision was made in consultation with his wife and family.
The number 20 will be retired at all levels, including the men’s and women’s first teams and academy squads.
A statement said: “It was the number he wore with pride and distinction, leading us to countless victories in the process – and Diogo Jota will forever be Liverpool Football Club’s number 20.”
The club called it a “recognition of not only the immeasurable contribution our lad from Portugal made to the Reds’ on-pitch successes over the last five years, but also the profound personal impact he had on his teammates, colleagues and supporters and the everlasting connections he built with them”.
Jota’s wife joined Liverpool players to view tributes at Anfield on Friday. Pic: Liverpool FC
Pic: Liverpool FC
Newly-married Jota died alongside his brother when his Lamborghini crashed in northern Spain on 3 July.
Police said this week that all the evidence so far suggests Jota was the one driving the vehicle.
Liverpool teammates joined members of Jota’s family, including his wife Rute, at a huge memorial site outside Anfield on Friday.
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A fan looks at messages on a memorial wall near Anfield. Pic: Reuters
Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson were among players at the funeral. Pic: Reuters
The star’s funeral took place last weekend, with Liverpool colleagues and members of the Portuguese national team in attendance.
Reds captain Virgil van Dijk carried a shirt bearing the number 20 made from flowers.
Liverpool players returned to the club’s training ground for the start of pre-season on Tuesday.
Their first game since Jota’s death will be on Sunday when they play a friendly away against Preston North End.
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