Inside courtroom seven: The trial of Lucy Letby and the moment she was found guilty

Published

2 years ago

August 18, 2023

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For 10 months, the nondescript courtroom has been home to endless discussion, accusations and speculation, as lawyers sought to answer why seven young babies had suddenly collapsed and died in the place they should have been safest.

But in the moments before nurse Lucy Letby was found guilty of their murders, there was only a thick silence in courtroom seven.

For the jury of 11 – seven women and four men – the weight on their shoulders was enormous. But after deliberating for more than 100 hours, the foreman quietly and steadily delivered its rulings.

For her victims’ parents, it has been an agonising and unimaginable wait. Many have stood at the court every day during jurors’ deliberations, waiting to learn if their children – who by now would have been approaching their final years of primary school – were among those targeted by Letby.

They have sat through graphic descriptions of their babies’ final moments, as the prosecution tried to prove Letby poisoned them, pumped them with excessive gas or milk, or violently assaulted them.

One of her victims, Child C, was found with an unexplained amount of air in his gut.

As Letby was found guilty of the baby boy’s murder, his mother sobbed and was comforted by those around her. His father stayed still, staring straight ahead.

Another parent clutched a stuffed rabbit to her face as she tried to hold back tears.

Read more: Follow live reaction from court

How the verdicts unfolded

Letby was found guilty of seven murders and the attempted murder of six others at the Countess of Chester hospital’s neonatal unit between June 2015 and June 2016.

She was also found not guilty of two charges of attempted murder.

Sky News is one of just five news organisations that have been given a seat inside the trial, with the rest of the world’s media required to watch from the magistrates’ court across the road via a televised link.

All of the children and their parents have been granted anonymity, although their names were read out in the courtroom during the nine-month trial.

Strict reporting restrictions were put in place, which meant the media could not publish any of the verdicts until the jury had found on all counts.

First, after 76 hours of discussions, the jury unanimously found her guilty of the attempted murders of Children F and L.

They agreed with the prosecution that Letby had poisoned their IV drip bags with insulin on separate occasions, eight months apart.

Seated in the glass-fronted dock, Letby is now a shadow of the smiling, ordinary-looking woman pictured in media reports. She was in her mid-20s when she attacked her victims. She is now 33 and spent almost three years behind bars awaiting this trial.

Her once shiny blonde hair hung long and limp around her face, which is now gaunt and angular. Flanked by guards, as the first verdicts were read out, she bowed her head and wiped away tears.

Her mother, Susan, sobbed as her daughter was taken back to the custody area.

After the first two verdicts, the jury was ordered by the judge, Mr Justice Goss, to try to reach a majority decision on all other counts.

Three days later, the jury returned again and this time, quiet gasps accompanied each guilty verdict in the courtroom.

Letby was found guilty of murdering four of the infants and attempting to murder two more.

She remained emotionless, but as she stood to be taken back down to the cells her shoulders began to shake.

Susan broke down again – whispering “you can’t be serious, this can’t be right” into her husband’s arms – before howling as her only child was led out of court.

Letby refused to come up from cells

A third set of verdicts came after the jury had been discussing the case for 99 hours and 38 minutes.

But this time, the dock was empty as Letby refused to leave the cells. In her absence, she was found guilty of a further three murders and three more attempts. With this, she surpassed Beverley Allitt and became the UK’s most prolific child murderer.

She was also found not guilty of one of the attacks on Child G, a baby girl.

One mother put her head in her hands and sobbed silently as Letby was found guilty of her child’s murder. Another gasped and then cheered quietly. Their relief was visible – like 15 people had just let go of one collective breath.

This time, John and Susan Letby were silent, resigned, and leant on each other with their eyes closed.

Exclusive: Mother fears Letby attacked her baby too

The final verdicts

Five hours of deliberation later, Letby was cleared of another attempted murder, again in her absence, and made it clear, via her defence barrister, she would not be returning to the courtroom under any circumstances – including for sentencing.

The following day, family members who had already received a verdict for their child returned to court, in a show of solidarity for those who had not.

But on six counts, the jury could not reach a decision.

The father of one child stormed out of the room, and several members of the jury cried, while others put their heads in their hands and looked down.

The jury was discharged from its service and sentencing was scheduled for Monday morning at 10am.

Both Letby and her parents were absent from court.

The trial

The high-profile case against Letby contrasted with the unremarkable surroundings of courtroom seven at Manchester Crown Court, where the trial sat over for almost a year.

Unlike in the movies, there was no grand wooden interior – instead a small and fairly clinical space where defence barrister Ben Myers KC and Nick Johnson KC, for the prosecution, pored over medical notes, texts, photos and other evidence to make their arguments.

For most of the trial, Letby sat in a dock in front of prison guards, watching as her former friends gave evidence against her, her WhatsApp messages were read out, her Facebook searches revealed and the details of her horrendous crimes made public.

To the right of the dock sat the public gallery which was always filled with the parents of the victims, often teary-eyed but always stoic in their dedication to find out what had happened to their children.

Letby’s parents were positioned in the gallery opposite, frequently making eye contact with their daughter as she was led from the room at the end of each day.

When she was called to give evidence in May, some seven months after the trial started, Letby sat at a small table with two guards on either side of her.

She mostly answered questions calmly but became emotional when photographs of her bedroom after a police search were shown to the court. She spoke quietly and was repeatedly told to raise her voice.

As she was cross-examined she repeatedly contradicted herself, muddling her story, and grew frustrated with the prosecution’s questions. She was accused of only crying for herself – something she denied.

Justice at last for families changed forever

Letby’s fate rested in the hands of 12 ordinary men and women. Partway through deliberations, one had to be discharged for “good personal reasons”, reducing the number to 11.

For 10 months they have listened closely to everything that has been said, studiously making notes, the importance of this job not lost on any of them.

During one set of verdicts, a female member of the jury put her head down and cried, while her fellow jurors looked down at their desks.

No motive has ever been established, and perhaps it will never be known why the “evil” nurse chose to target defenceless infants.

Families have been changed forever, and may never truly be able to come to terms with the loss of lives that had only just begun.

And now, Letby could likely face a record-breaking sentence.

For her victims’ families, her imprisonment may finally bring some small justice that has been eight years in the making.

UK

Luton teenager who murdered family was planning school shooting

Published

3 hours ago

February 24, 2025

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Luton teenager who murdered family was planning school shooting

A teenager who admitted killing his mother and two younger siblings was plotting a school shooting, it can now be reported.

Nicholas Prosper, 19, appeared at Luton Crown Court over the deaths of Juliana Falcon, 48, Giselle Prosper, 13, and Kyle Prosper, 16.

Their bodies were found at a flat in Leabank, off Wauluds Bank Drive, Luton, in September.

He was also planning a shooting at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Luton, where he and his siblings had all been pupils.

Headteacher Maureen Murphy said staff were “very shocked” to learn of the plot, but that there is no threat to the school.

Prosper’s harrowing plan, said to have left investigators “in shock and disbelief”, was foiled by police who spotted him in the street immediately after the murders.

He was stopped in nearby Bramingham Road, and a loaded shotgun was found hidden in bushes nearby, along with more than 30 cartridges.

As he appeared in court on Monday, Prosper spoke to confirm his identity and to plead guilty to three charges of murder.

Detective Chief Inspector Sam Khanna, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said: “In all my years working on murder investigations, I have never known a case quite like this.

“Not only were three innocent lives taken in such brutal circumstances, but we then learnt of Prosper’s plans to carry out a shooting at a school, something which left our whole investigation team in shock and disbelief.

“We cannot even begin to comprehend why someone would plan to kill innocent children and are so grateful to those arresting officers who helped prevent this from taking place.”

Leader of Luton Council, Hazel Simmons MBE, branded the murders as “senseless” and said their thoughts were with the victims, their family and friends.

The councillor sought to reassure parents by saying “our schools have robust systems in place to keep children safe and security is constantly reviewed and monitored”.

After recently asking schools to review their security, Ms Simmons said schools will be asked to further review their measures in light of what emerged from court on Monday.

“On behalf of the town I would like to thank and praise the excellent work of Bedfordshire Police for apprehending the perpetrator before he attempted to cause more harm.

“However, we know this case will be unsettling for parents which is why the council is working with schools to put support in place in our schools to anyone who needs it.”

Prosper also admitted a number of other offences, including purchasing a shotgun without a certificate, possession of a shotgun with intent to endanger life and possession of a kitchen knife in a public place.

He will be sentenced on 5 March and has been remanded in custody.

‘A cold-blooded attack’

Chris Derrick, a deputy chief crown prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said the victims’ lives “were stolen in a cold-blooded attack”.

Mr Derrick said in a statement “the full extent of Prosper’s actions will be laid bare when he is sentenced, and he can expect to face a very long time behind bars”.

He added: “We hope today’s conviction offers some solace to those who loved and cared for them, as they mourn their loss.”

A friend of Ms Falcon previously described her as someone who “lived for her children” and said she was “a positive person who will be so terribly missed”.

A previous statement on X from the headteacher at Lea Manor High School said they were “deeply shocked” by the death of Giselle.

“Giselle was a beautiful soul and a model pupil, she excelled in all her subjects and will be sorely missed, particularly by her friends in Year 9.”

Kyle’s school described the incident as “devastating” and offered “heartfelt condolences” to his family.

A previous statement issued by Cardinal Newman Catholic School said: “This is devastating news to all those who knew and loved Kyle and it will take some time to come to terms with the profound sense of loss.

“We know this will be a difficult time for students and staff and we will do all we can to support them with love and compassion.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences to Kyle’s family on their immeasurable loss, to his friends and to all those in neighbouring schools who are coming to terms with their own loss.”

UK

Reform in contention in potential nightmare by-election for Labour

Published

6 hours ago

February 24, 2025

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Reform in contention in potential nightmare by-election for Labour

The jailing of Mike Amesbury for 10 weeks for assault means Sir Keir Starmer potentially faces his first by-election test since becoming prime minister.

Officially, the 55-year-old former Labour MP for Runcorn and Helsby now faces a recall petition, but realistically he’s under enormous pressure to resign without delay.

Politics latest: ‘Alarm bells ringing’ for Labour

Amesbury was immediately disowned by the Labour Party, which condemned his actions in the assault as “completely unacceptable” and said it was time for a new MP.

“Local residents in the Runcorn and Helsby constituency deserved better, and we look forward to them getting the representation they deserved in the future with a new MP,” said a party spokesperson.

However, if Amesbury appeals against his sentence, as it’s being suggested he may, that would delay a by-election as a writ can’t be moved unless appeals are exhausted, or he stands down voluntarily.

Amesbury held the Cheshire seat with a seemingly healthy 14,696 majority at the July 2024 general election. But in a potential nightmare for Sir Keir, it was Reform UK – not the Conservatives – in second place.

A challenge for Labour – but Tories in disarray

The current state of opinion polls, with Nigel Farage’s party edging ahead of Labour, suggests Reform will be in contention in a by-election and could pull off a sensational victory.

And so predictably it was Reform’s chairman Zia Yusuf who led calls from opponents for Amesbury to resign, followed by a handful of Tory backbenchers – but not by Kemi Badenoch yet.

“The great people of Runcorn deserve far better than waiting six weeks for a recall petition to take place,” said Mr Yusuf. “We call on Mike Amesbury to do the honourable thing and resign immediately.”

The risk of humiliation by Mr Farage may deter Labour big hitter Jonathan Ashworth – one of five Labour MPs defeated in July last year – from gambling on a quick return to Westminster in this seat.

The Conservatives appear to be in disarray over a potential by-election. Sky News can reveal that party HQ last week invited applications to be Tory candidate, with a deadline fast approaching.

“We are writing to invite applications for Runcorn and Helsby,” said a letter from the party’s candidates team. “We are particularly keen to see applications from people with links to the constituency.

“If you are eligible to stand and interested in applying, please apply through the Microsoft Form here and apply by no later than Tuesday 25th February at 12pm.”

When could a by-election happen?

A recall petition happens if an MP is jailed or receives a suspended sentence of a year or less. It lasts six weeks and if 10% of electors sign it, there’s a by-election – though the recalled MP can stand.

The last MP to be jailed was Tory Imran Ahmad Khan, former MP for Wakefield, who was sentenced to 18 months after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-yar-old boy. Labour won that by-election.

Although Sir Keir and the Labour high command have acknowledged since Amesbury pleaded guilty that a by-election in Runcorn and Helsby was almost inevitable, the party faces a dilemma over the timing of a poll.

Labour’s statement looking forward to a new MP suggests the party favours a speedy by-election, without the delay of a recall petition, rather than waiting until the local elections on 1 May or even later.

But there are dangers in a quick poll, as Sir Keir will recall. He was advised to rush the Hartlepool by-election in 2021, with disastrous results, and he has admitted he considered quitting after that humiliating defeat.

The numbers in Runcorn and Helsby last July were Labour on 22,358 votes (52.94%), Reform 7,662, (18.14%), Conservatives 6,756, (16%), Greens 2,715, (6.43%) and Liberal Democrats 2,149, (5.09%).

Runcorn is on the southern bank of the River Mersey and has expanded as a new town since 1964, and dominates the constituency with a population of 61,000. There are two smaller towns, Frodsham and Helsby.

Amesbury became MP for the processor seat of Weaver Vale in 2017. He was a shadow minister for work and pensions under Jeremy Corbyn, and for housing, communities and local government under Sir Keir until 2022.

UK

Luton teenager who murdered family was planning school shooting

Published

6 hours ago

February 24, 2025

admin

A teenager who admitted killing his mother and two younger siblings was plotting a school shooting, it can now be reported.

Nicholas Prosper, 19, appeared at Luton Crown Court over the deaths of Juliana Falcon, 48, Giselle Prosper, 13, and Kyle Prosper, 16.

Their bodies were found at a flat in Leabank, off Wauluds Bank Drive, Luton, in September.

As he appeared in court on Monday, Prosper spoke to confirm his identity and to plead guilty to three charges of murder.

Assistant Chief Constable John Murphy, from Bedfordshire Police, said: “We understand the deep shock this case will have on people within Luton and across the country.

“Juliana, Kyle and Giselle were brutally murdered in their home by someone intent on causing the maximum harm and distress on not only his family, but to the wider community.

“We are extremely grateful to our officers who stopped him and prevented him from going through with his plans to target a school.

“We are working closely alongside Luton Borough Council to engage with schools in Luton to provide support, assistance and guidance to both schools and parents.”

Leader of Luton Council, Hazel Simmons MBE, branded the murders as “senseless” and said their thoughts were with the victims, their family and friends.

She then said the “revelation that the perpetrator had plans to cause further harm in one of our schools is extremely shocking, distressing and upsetting”.