Nurse Lucy Letby found guilty of murdering seven babies on neonatal unit

Published

2 years ago

August 18, 2023

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A nurse has been found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others while working on a hospital’s neonatal unit between June 2015 and June 2016.

Lucy Letby – who was in her mid-20s and working at the Countess of Chester Hospital at the time of the murders – is now the UK’s most prolific child killer of modern times.

She was found guilty by a series of partial verdicts, delivered several days apart, with the judge issuing reporting restrictions until the end of the trial.

Letby was also found guilty of seven counts of attempted murder, including two involving the same infant.

Read more: Live reaction from court

Letby cried during some of the verdicts, while families of her victims sobbed and comforted each other as the jury read out its findings. One member of the jury also cried and held her head in her hands.

She was also found not guilty of two charges of attempted murder. The jury was unable to reach verdicts on six further counts of attempted murder.

Letby’s mother, Susan, broke down sobbing as her daughter was led away from the dock after the first set of verdicts, whispering “you can’t be serious, this can’t be right,” into her husband’s arms.

Neither Letby nor her parents were in court as the trial came to a close today.

During a later set of verdicts, Letby refused to come up from the cells, and was found guilty of more murders in her absence.

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

Two of her victims, known as Child L and M, were twin brothers.

They had been born prematurely and were just days old when Letby tried to kill them within hours of each other, in April 2016.

Speaking publicly for the very first time, the boys’ parents described the killer nurse as acting “very cool and calm” after trying to murder Child M with an injection of excessive air.

“At that time, her body language and her behaviour totally changed,” the twins’ mother said.

“She was very annoyed with us. She thought that ‘I couldn’t kill your baby’.”

Exclusive: Mother fears Letby attacked her baby too

‘I had to listen to her lie and lie and lie’

The boys’ father said he broke down as he watched doctors trying to resuscitate Child M on the ward, “pumping his heart like a rag doll”.

“We were first-time parents, we didn’t know what was going on,” he said. Neither parent suspected Lucy Letby at the time.

Both Child M and Child L, who Letby tried to poison with insulin, survived the assaults.

But Child M has been left with brain damage which his parents say means he may “deviate from his peers” as he grows older.

The boys’ parents, who joined other families in the court, said it was “horrendous” to witness Letby repeatedly deny hurting their children during weeks of cross-examination.

“I had to listen to her lie and lie and lie,” their mother said, “and I say now enough: don’t tell lies.”

“Whatever sentence she gets, it’s not going to be enough.”

‘Devious’ and ‘cold-blooded’

Described as “devious” and “cold-blooded”, Letby “completely perverted her learning” and “weaponised whatever was at her disposal,” the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

The jury heard the nurse would misuse medical equipment and medicines to cause babies to unexpectedly collapse across day and night shifts on the hospital’s neonatal ward.

Her victims included both boys and girls, many of whom were born prematurely.

Two of her last victims were boys, known as Children O and P, who were two of three triplet siblings. Both died within the first week of their lives, and Child O was found with severe liver damage.

Pascale Jones, of the CPS, said Letby “betrayed the trust that people had in the NHS” as well as the “faith that families had”.

“Behind that angelic smile was a much darker side to her personality,” she added.

Police investigating more attacks

Letby stood trial accused of murdering seven babies and trying to murder 10 others at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

The nurse, from Hereford, denied all the charges.

But the court heard that colleagues had suspicions about Letby well over a year before hospital bosses contacted the police.

A nurse who worked at the hospital told Sky News that when “alarms would go off during the night” there would be a “phrase that people would use”.

Lynsey Artell said that colleagues would ask, “I wonder if Lucy’s working tonight?”.

Ms Artell also fears that Letby attacked her son, Asa, who was cared for on the hospital’s neonatal ward after being born two months premature.

She is calling for the police to reinvestigate her claims and that of other parents.

Following today’s verdicts, Cheshire Police confirmed they are now investigating whether Letby could have attacked other children in her care, prior to June 2015.

This includes several more years she worked at the Countess of Chester Hospital, as well as time Letby spent on training placements at Liverpool Women’s Hospital.

Sky News has contacted both hospitals for comment.

DCI Nicola Evans, the deputy senior investigating officer on the case, told Sky News that it remains “really hard to even accept that, in that setting, somebody would be harming babies”.

“That is totally unnatural for anybody to think that,” she added.

No motive ever established

Cheshire Police conducted a two-year investigation into the babies’ deaths before Letby was charged in November 2020.

Officers say they examined more than half a million medical and digital records and have been supporting the victims’ families, many of whom have attended court proceedings in person.

DCI Evans said: “I don’t think there’s anybody who has worked on this investigation who will come out of the other side the same person they were.

“It has been heartbreaking.”

During the trial, Letby claimed that she was being wrongly accused to cover hospital failings.

No motive has ever been established, which DCI Evans said “must be really hard for families to accept”.

“I don’t know whether we will ever be able to answer that question, and only Lucy Letby can answer that,” the officer added.

Additional reporting by Megan Harwood-Baynes, news reporter inside Manchester Crown Court

UK

Lionesses parade: The route and key timings as thousands of England fans to descend on central London

Published

35 mins ago

July 29, 2025

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Lionesses parade: The route and key timings as thousands of England fans to descend on central London

The Lionesses will celebrate with thousands of England fans in central London today as the players take part in an open-top bus procession.

The bus will carry the team through central London, allowing supporters to celebrate the team’s defence of their Women’s Euros title alongside the likes of Leah Williamson and Chloe Kelly and catch a glimpse of the silverware.

Here is all you need to know.

Where will the parade go and when?

The team’s open-top bus will travel along The Mall from 12.10pm.

It will end with a staged ceremony at the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace, which is expected to start at roughly 12.30pm and end at 1pm, the Football Association (FA) announced.

The Royal Marines Portsmouth band and the Central Band of the Royal Air Force will perform on the stage and highlights from the tournament will be shown on big screens.

England manager Sarina Wiegman will then lead her triumphant team out on stage to lift the trophy.

The event will be hosted by former Lioness and football pundit Alex Scott.

Fans will be able to attend the event for free, but the FA have warned that the capital is going to be “very busy”.

“People should plan their visits carefully, both coming into central London and travelling home,” the association said.

How to watch

You can watch coverage of the entire event live on Sky News from 10am and follow all the action with our live blog.

Fans can also follow coverage of the event on the BBC, ITV and across England’s social media channels.

Celebrations with the deputy PM

The Lionesses landed back in the UK from Basel, Switzerland, on Monday, where celebrations continued with a reception at Downing Street.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and sports minister Stephanie Peacock hosted the team ahead of today’s bus parade.

Sir Keir Starmer said: “The Lionesses have once again captured the hearts of the nation.

“Their victory is not only a remarkable sporting achievement, but an inspiration for young people across the country.”

An extra bank holiday?

As the team have become the first senior England side to win a major tournament on foreign soil, some have called for an extra bank holiday to mark the occasion.

Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey was one of those who asked the prime minister if it was “time for that bank holiday”.

He was referring to comments made by Sir Keir in 2023. When, as leader of the opposition, he wrote on X that there “should be a celebratory bank holiday if the Lionesses bring it home”.

But with estimates suggesting an extra bank holiday would cost the economy £2.4bn, it’s understood such a move isn’t being planned by Downing Street.

‘There is no stopping them now’

The impact of the Lionesses second consecutive Euros title is already being felt across the UK.

At Bearsted Football Club in Maidstone, Kent, a mural of Alessia Russo, who levelled Sunday’s final with a goal in the 56th minute, has been unveiled.

The club is where Russo first started playing, and chairman Jamie Houston told Sky News the Lionesses have helped transform the women’s game.

“Five years ago we never had a girl’s football team,” he told Sky correspondent Mollie Malone. “Now we have five separate teams for girls, and boys are accepting of more girls in the game.

“There is no stopping them now.”

Lynda Hale, who played in the England squad in the first ever international women’s match against Scotland in 1972, reiterated that women’s football has changed drastically since she played.

“When I first started playing there was hardly anyone that would watch,” she told Sky News Breakfast.

“To put on the England shirt and think what we started has grown to this magnitude, and it is still going to grow, is absolutely fantastic. I think the sky’s the limit in women’s football.”

Asked what advice she would have for the current England squad after their win, Ms Hale said: “The girls need to make as many memories as they can and take everything in their stride.”

UK

Suspect in fatal shooting of mother and her two children in Northern Ireland dies in hospital

Published

35 mins ago

July 29, 2025

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Suspect in fatal shooting of mother and her two children in Northern Ireland dies in hospital

The suspect in the fatal shooting of a mother and her two children in Northern Ireland has died.

Ian Rutledge, a 43-year-old agricultural worker, had himself suffered a gunshot wound during the attack in the village of Maguiresbridge in County Fermanagh on Wednesday morning.

He was taken to hospital where he remained in a serious condition until the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) announced he had died on Monday evening.

It is understood he was the only suspect in the murder investigation.

Vanessa Whyte, 45, a vet originally from County Clare, her son James, 14, and daughter Sara, 13, were all shot dead at a property on Drummeer Road during the attack.

The PSNI said last week that all four people who were shot were members of the same household.

Police have been investigating whether the attack was a triple murder and attempted suicide.

A prayer service took place for Ms Whyte and the two children in Barefield, County Clare on Sunday, following a community vigil in Maguiresbridge last Friday.

A funeral service is expected to take place in County Clare later this week.

Following Mr Rutledge’s death, the PSNI said detectives have “reiterated their appeal for anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward”.

It comes after the PSNI issued an appeal on Saturday for information involving the movements of a vehicle.

They have asked anyone who saw a silver Mercedes saloon car being driven in the Clones Road area of Newtownbutler, or between Maguiresbridge and Newtownbutler, on the evening of Tuesday 22 July to call detectives on 101.

Tributes paid to ‘lovely-natured’ children

A local Gaelic football club said last week that Ms White and her children were all “active and beloved” members of their club.

Sara and James Rutledge also used to be part of a local cricket club, which said in a statement that it was “extremely saddened by the tragic events”.

“Both of them turned out to be talented young cricketers and two absolutely lovely-natured children,” the statement read.

Flowers, teddy bears and an Arsenal football top with written notes were laid close to scene of the incident in Drummeer Road in the days after the shooting.

UK

Trump reignites row with ‘nasty’ Sadiq Khan as Starmer responds

Published

35 mins ago

July 29, 2025

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Trump reignites row with 'nasty' Sadiq Khan as Starmer responds

Donald Trump has reignited his row with London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan after calling him a “nasty person” who has done “a terrible job”.

During an hour-long news conference with Sir Keir Starmer in Scotland, the US president hit out at the Labour mayor, who has responded with his own snipey remarks.

Trump latest: US leader gives Putin new deadline to end war

Asked if he would visit London during his state visit in September, Mr Trump said: “I will, I’m not a fan of your mayor, I think he’s done a terrible job.

“A nasty person, I think.”

The prime minister then interrupted and said: “He’s a friend of mine.”

But the president added: “I think he’s done a terrible job but I will certainly visit London, I hope so.”

Sir Sadiq’s spokesperson then released a statement saying: “Sadiq is delighted that President Trump wants to come to the greatest city in the world.

“He’d see how our diversity makes us stronger not weaker; richer, not poorer.

“Perhaps these are the reasons why a record number of Americans have applied for British citizenship under his presidency.”

They noted that Sir Sadiq has won three mayoral elections, including when Mr Trump lost the US election in 2020.

This is not the first time Mr Trump and Sir Sadiq have locked horns.

During his first presidential term, Mr Trump called the London mayor a “stone cold loser who should focus on crime in London”.

Sir Sadiq then described Mr Trump as a “poster boy for racists”.

And in November 2024, after Mr Trump won his second term, Sir Sadiq said many Londoners would be “fearful” about what it would “mean for democracy”.

However, as Sir Keir tried to show diplomacy with Mr Trump after becoming PM, Sir Sadiq said he “wanted to work closely with the American president” ahead of his inauguration in January.

The London mayor said as somebody “who believes in democracy, and voting and elections, we should recognise the fact that Donald Trump is the elected president of the United States”.

But he added: “Let’s keep our fingers crossed that this president is different from the last time he was president.”