Connect with us

Published

on

A hospital consultant has told the Lucy Letby murder trial how he and other clinicians had previously raised concerns to bosses over an individual present as babies collapsed but were told “not to make a fuss”.

Dr Ravi Jayaram, a paediatrician at the Countess of Chester Hospital, added that he “didn’t really have any hard evidence apart from the association we had seen” and “it is a matter of regret and I wish I had been more courageous”.

He also said the unusual skin discolouration of Letby’s first alleged victim, a baby boy known as Child A, “didn’t fit with anything I had ever seen”.

He said he responded to an emergency alert after the premature newborn twin suddenly collapsed on the neo-natal unit after Letby allegedly caused him to stop breathing by injecting air into his bloodstream on the evening of 8 June 2015.

Dr Jayaram told Manchester Crown Court that he was aware there was talk on the unit about a “moving” purple rash on the body of Child A’s twin sister, Child B, who the Crown allege Letby, 32, tried to kill with a similar air injection the following night.

Dr Jayaram said there were similar discussions following the death of Child D on 22 June 2015, who is also said to have been murdered by the defendant using the same method.

The paediatrician said that around the time of Child A’s inquest he and a group of clinicians highlighted to hospital bosses the “association we had seen with an individual being present in those situations and, how do I say diplomatically, being told we really should not really be saying such things and not to make a fuss”.

More on Lucy Letby

Dr Jayaram added it was a “matter of regret that had I suggested this, and it could have been happening, I didn’t really have any hard evidence apart from the association we had seen”.

“And it is a matter of regret and I wish I had been more courageous.”

Meanwhile, a nurse thought “not again” after Child A and Child B collapsed on successive nights at the neonatal unit, the trial also heard.

Giving evidence, Letby’s colleague said she was preparing medicines when the monitor alarm sounded at Child B’s incubator.

She added that Letby was the first who got to the cot and called her for help.

Asked about Child B’s appearance, she said: “She looked very like (Child A) the night before. Pale, white, with this purple blotchy discolouration. It was all over her body.

“I just remember thinking ‘not again’ – to see (another baby) with the same appearance.”

Child B “started to stabilise quite quickly” after a breathing tube was inserted, said the witness.

The nurse went on: “(Child A’s) deterioration was very sudden and to an unusual degree. Babies can be very poorly quickly but there is usually some indication that is happening. We had no undue concerns.

“To go from that is very unusual and then (Child B) had been good throughout the evening for me… then she became ill very quickly. She deteriorated very quickly and then this discolouration.”

Child B recovered and was eventually discharged a month later.

‘Mentor’ to Letby

The nurse said she couldn’t remember who administered intravenous fluids to Child A before his collapse but accepted she told police that another nursing colleague had “pressed start” in the process and Letby assisted with checks.

She said she acted as “mentor” to Letby, who first came to the unit as a trainee around 2010/11 while studying at the University of Chester.

They became “good friends”, she said, as Letby went on to join the unit after she qualified.

Defending Letby, Ben Myers KC asked the nurse: “We know the allegations but your experience when working with her was she was highly professional?

“Yes,” replied the witness.

Mr Myers said: “And dedicated to the work she was doing?”

“Yes,” agreed the witness.

Letby denies murdering seven babies and the attempted murders of 10 others while she worked at the neonatal unit between June 2015 and June 2016.

Continue Reading

UK

Sentebale war of words continues as charity calls for clarity on commission’s probe into Prince Harry claims

Published

on

By

Sentebale war of words continues as charity calls for clarity on commission's probe into Prince Harry claims

The war of words over Sentebale is continuing, with the charity calling on the Charity Commission to provide clarity that its recent report did not specifically investigate claims of racism and misogyny against Prince Harry. 

Sources close to the Duke of Sussex claim they are “rehashing unsubstantiated allegations of bullying, misogyny and more”, describing their latest move as not “just provocative, it’s pitiful”.

A source at Sentebale has told Sky News: “We have written to The Charity Commission stating that the onus is on the commission to restate for the record that individual allegations of bullying have not been investigated or addressed in the commission’s report.”

It comes after the Charity Commission report stated that “based on the evidence provided and reviewed by the commission, it found no evidence of: widespread or systemic bullying or harassment, including misogyny or misogynoir at the charity”.

However, the commission added that it “acknowledged the strong perception of ill treatment felt by a number of parties to the dispute and the impact this may have had on them personally”.

But sources at Sentebale believe the reporting around this statement – that Prince Harry has been cleared of bullying – has been inaccurate, as the charity watchdog did not specifically look at allegations made by the chair, Dr Sophie Chandauka, including during an exclusive interview on Sky News.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

From March 2025: Charity chair’s bullying claims on Sky News

A source close to Prince Harry and the former board of trustees has hit back, and said: “It’s remarkable, just yesterday Ms Chanduaka was applauding the Charity Commission’s findings, yet today, after a flurry of unflattering headlines, she’s back on the warpath.

“Issuing yet another media statement only reinforces the commission’s criticism about using the press to air internal disputes.

“Rehashing unsubstantiated allegations of bullying, misogyny and more, which the commission found no evidence of and dressing them up as veiled threats isn’t just provocative, it’s pitiful.

“If Ms Chanduaka has genuine concerns, she should spell them out plainly or, better yet, redirect her energy toward something truly worthwhile, like raising money for the children Sentebale exists to support.”

It’s understood Prince Harry and his supporters have also been left unsatisfied by the scope of the report, including their concerns about money spent on consultants that was authorised by Dr Chandauka.

Read more from Sky News:
Family waits three years for justice after cyclist killed
UK warned it risks exodus of ‘disillusioned’ doctors
What could a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine involve?

👉 Listen to Sky News Daily on your podcast app 👈

Responding to Sky News, the Charity Commission said: “We have issued the charity with an action plan which sets out steps the current trustees need to take to improve governance weaknesses and rectify findings of mismanagement.

“We now urge all involved to put their differences behind them and allow the charity to focus on its work and beneficiaries”.

Their report, released on Wednesday, was highly critical of all parties for allowing their disagreement to play out so publicly and allowing it to severely impact the charity’s reputation.

Continue Reading

UK

Bromley burglary: £500,000 worth of gold stolen from home

Published

on

By

Bromley burglary: £500,000 worth of gold stolen from home

Police have launched an appeal after £500,000 worth of jewellery was stolen from a house in southeast London.

The incident took place at a home in Bickley Road, Bromley, on 30 December last year.

Footage showed three men entering the property through a forced bathroom window.

The group, who entered the home at 5.40pm and left at 6.25pm, carried out the theft while the owners were home.

Pics: Met Police
Image:
Pics: Met Police

The Metropolitan Police have now shared images of the stolen jewellery in a new appeal for information.

No arrests have been made in connection with the burglary so far.

Read more from Sky News:
Charity criticises GHF aid sites in Gaza
Superman actor says he is joining ICE
Sentebale calls for clarity on commission’s probe

Pics: Met Police
Image:
Pics: Met Police

Detective Constable Jamie White, of the Met’s South Area Command Unit, said: “While the monetary value of this theft is enormous, the sentimental value is priceless – with many of the pieces being passed down through generations of the family.

“Helpfully, a number of the pieces stolen are unique, so we are hoping that releasing these photographs will jog someone’s memory.”

Continue Reading

UK

Anna Friel: Pensioner who stalked Marcella star for nearly three years to be sentenced next month

Published

on

By

Anna Friel: Pensioner who stalked Marcella star for nearly three years to be sentenced next month

A man who stalked actress Anna Friel for nearly three years is to be sentenced next month.

Phil Appleton, 71, sent numerous messages, visited the actress’s home address several times and left “unwanted” gifts between January 2022 and December last year, Reading Crown Court previously heard.

The defendant, described online as an actor and retired pilot, admitted stalking under Section 2A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 earlier this week.

Appleton was due to be sentenced on Thursday but judge Alan Blake adjourned the hearing until 18 September for a pre-sentence report to be carried out.

The court heard the pensioner, from Windsor in Berkshire, has been in custody for six months and has spent time in a mental health facility.

Granted conditional bail, he was told he must not contact Ms Friel or enter the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and is to co-operate with those conducting the pre-sentence report.

Friel, 49, rose to fame with her role as Beth Jordache in Channel 4 soap opera Brookside.

Read more on Sky News:
Superman star joining ICE
Combs asks Trump for pardon
TV star charged with rape

She achieved international renown in 2007, starring as Charlotte “Chuck” Charles in the ABC comedy series Pushing Daisies.

In 2017, she won the International Emmy for Best Actress for her role as the title character in the ITV and Netflix mystery drama series Marcella

Continue Reading

Trending