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The mother of a baby murdered by Lucy Letby said her experience in hospital was “like something out of a horror story” as the parents of newborns attacked by the killer nurse revealed their heartbreak in court.

The mother of premature baby Child D said the funeral was held the day before her due date, and the newborn’s organs could not be donated because a post-mortem had to be performed.

Another woman whose two children E and F were attacked by Letby said they were born after painful rounds of IVF. “No children in the world were more wanted than them,” she added.

Letby is due to be sentenced later after she was found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.

‘Sadistic’ Letby refusing to leave cells – follow live sentencing updates

‘His murderer was watching us’

The mother of a baby referred to as Child C to protect his identity blamed herself for his death, saying she thought to herself: “What if I had not gone to bed that night? Maybe he would still be here.”

She told the court: “The trauma of that night will live with us all until the day we die. Knowing now his murderer was watching us… was like something out of a horror story.”

The mother of Child C also said she would open her son’s memory box in the days after his death, wearing his footprints around her neck to feel close to him.

But she added that after Letby’s arrest the mementoes felt “tainted”.

However she is now able to wear the mementoes again for the first time in five years, telling the court: “I know they represent the love I have for my son and I will not allow evil to take that. They represent justice and the truth.”

Why we’re not identifying the children and their families

Though their real names have been used in court, all children involved in the trial against Lucy Letby have been granted anonymity through a strict reporting restriction.

The order, imposed by a judge, also bans any reporting of the names of the babies’ parents, to protect their identities.

It means the babies have been referred to as children A to Q throughout.

‘We hope you spend every day suffering’

A twin boy and girl, Child A and Child B respectively, were targeted by Letby in 2015.

The boy died while his sister survived.

The mother of the babies told the court: “What should have been the happiest time of our lives became our worst nightmare.”

She added that after her son died the family made sure there was always somebody by their daughter’s side.

“We are so thankful that we had that fear for Child B as it saved her life,” the mother added.

In a message directed at Letby, who has refused to attend her sentencing, the mother continued: “Little did we know you were waiting for us to leave so you could attack the one thing that gave us reason to live.”

She says there will always be a “gaping hole” where their son should be.

“We hope you live a very long life and spend every single day suffering for what you have done.”

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Moment of Lucy Letby’s arrest

Mother’s heart ‘shattered into a thousand pieces’

The mother of premature baby girl Child D was emotional as she said Letby’s “wicked sense of entitlement and abuse of her role as a trusted nurse is truly a scandal”.

“Lucy Letby, you failed God and the plans we had for (Child D).”

She added that her heart “shattered into a thousand pieces” when her daughter died.

She says she questioned if she had done something wrong, missed something or “failed her daughter”.

The mother then described how she has struggled with “grief and depression” during her fight for justice.

“My marriage is also scarred by all the hurdles we went through. At first, we were each other’s rocks… it has been hard to keep strong together.”

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How the police caught Lucy Letby

‘Significant harm and cruelty’

The mother of boys children E and F had the twins after several rounds of IVF.

Child E died while his brother survived.

“Lucy was aware of our journey and deliberately caused significant harm and cruelty to our boys,” she said with emotion thick in her voice.

“No children in the world were more wanted than them.”

Their son now has complex learning difficulties, which they believe is a direct result of his being poisoned with insulin.

“Nothing can change what has happened to us, we are living with a life sentence because of Lucy’s crimes.”

The mother also called Letby’s decision not to appear in court for her sentencing “one final act of wickedness from a coward”.

“Even in these final days of the trial she has tried to control things, the disrespect she has shown the families and the court show what type of person she is.”

She finished by calling Letby “nothing” before returning to sit with the other families.

Lucy Letby

Mother of triplets feels unable to speak in court

Children O and P were two triplet babies murdered by Letby.

The baby killer even took a photograph of them in a cot after their deaths.

Their mother provided a pre-recorded message to the court because she felt unable to enter the witness box.

She said Letby was unconsolable after the deaths of the babies.

“I only have one photograph of me holding all three boys together,” she says.

“It was Lucy Letby that dressed Child P after his passing and took his footprints which were stored in a memory box.”

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Letby ‘meets whole-life sentence threshold’

Baby left disabled after attack

Letby attempted to murder six babies during her time on the hospital’s neonatal unit – targeting Child G twice.

The baby girl was the result of IVF, which had cost the family great expense abroad.

Child G was left disabled after the attacks.

Her mother now finds it difficult to trust people who work in hospitals, but the parents need nurses to visit them every week to help support them and their child.

Child G’s father told the court: “Everything feels like a constant battle just to have the essential things that Child G needs during her daily life.”

He says his daughter will “never have a sleepover with a best friend, or go to high school and graduate. She will never have a first kiss, a boyfriend, or get married”.

“She will always be in her chair,” he added.

Mother now wants baby to home-schooled

The mother of Child N, who Letby tried to murder in June 2016, says she knew her son had been “deliberately harmed”.

“I just kept questioning why our healthy baby boy was fine one minute and then bleeding from the mouth and needing CPR the next.”

She added that she wants her child to be home-schooled because her belief in people in positions of trust has been broken.

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Labour dealt historic loss in Caerphilly by-election – as Plaid Cymru win seat

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Labour dealt historic loss in Caerphilly by-election - as Plaid Cymru win seat

Plaid Cymru have won the by-election in the Senedd seat of Caerphilly for the first time.

The Welsh nationalist party secured 15,960 votes – and candidate Lindsay Whittle cried as the result was announced.

Mr Whittle is 72 years old and had stood as a Plaid candidate 13 times since 1983. He will now hold the seat until the Welsh Assembly’s national elections next year.

This by-election was widely regarded as a two-horse race between Plaid Cymru and Reform UK, and the result marks a considerable blow for Nigel Farage.

His candidate Llyr Powell received 12,113 votes – denying a victory that would have strengthened claims that Reform can convert a large lead in opinion polls into election wins.

Nonetheless, the party’s performance is a marked improvement on 2021, when it received just 495 votes.

More than anything, the result is a humiliating and historic defeat for Labour, who had held Caerphilly at every Senedd election since it was created in 1999 – as well as the Westminster seat for over a century.

Its candidate Richard Tunnicliffe secured 3,713 votes and finished in third place, with Welsh Labour describing it as a “by-election in the toughest of circumstances, and in the midst of difficult headwinds nationally”.

Turnout overall stood at 50.43% – considerably higher than during the last ballot back in 2021.

Giving his acceptance speech after the result was confirmed, Mr Whittle began by paying tribute to Hefin David – who was Welsh Labour’s Member of the Senedd for Caerphilly until his death in August.

“He will be a hard act to follow,” Mr Whittle said. “I will never fill his shoes – but I promise you, I will walk the same path that he did.”

The Plaid politician described how he had been “absolutely heartened” by how many young people were involved in the by-election – and said the result sends a clear message.

He said: “Listen now Cardiff and listen Westminster – this is Caerphilly and Wales telling you we want a better deal for every corner of Wales. The big parties need to sit up and take notice.

“Wales, we are at the dawn of new leadership, we are at the dawn of a new beginning – and I look forward to playing my part for a new Wales, and in particular, for the people of the Caerphilly constituency. I thank you with all my heart.”

Mr Whittle quipped Plaid’s victory “was better than scoring the winning try for Wales in the Rugby World Cup”.

And looking ahead to the next year’s elections, he added: “[This] result shows what’s possible when people come together to back practical solutions and protect what matters most.

“We’ve beaten billionaire-backed Reform and, with the same determination, we can do it again in May 2026. Caerphilly has shown the way – now Wales must follow.”

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How tactical voting helped Plaid Cymru

Speaking to Sky’s chief political correspondent Jon Craig just before the declaration, Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said: “There’s clearly a real significance to the result – we are seeing the disillusionment with Labour writ large. I’ve heard it on hundreds of doorsteps, we’ve seen it in opinion polls.”

He conceded there was tactical voting in this by-election – with Labour and Conservative supporters alike backing Lindsay Whittle to keep out Reform.

However, Mr ap Iorwerth added: “I’ve spoken to literally hundreds and hundreds of people who told me – time and time again – ‘I’ve been a Labour supporter all my life, and we’re backing you this time.’

“Not begrudgingly, but because they see that’s the direction we’re going in – not just in this by-election, but as a nation. I’m calling on people to get behind that positive change – not just today, but ahead of next May.”

First Minister Eluned Morgan congratulated Mr Whittle on his return to the Senedd and said: “Welsh Labour has heard the frustration on doorsteps in Caerphilly that the need to feel change in people’s lives has not been quick enough.

“We take our share of the responsibility for this result. We are listening, we are learning the lessons, and we will be come back stronger.”

The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats were among the parties who lost their deposits.

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Royals visit to meet Pope Leo at Vatican is welcome relief for King Charles engulfed in Prince Andrew revelations

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Royals visit to meet Pope Leo at Vatican is welcome relief for King Charles engulfed in Prince Andrew revelations

It was a welcome designed to catch our attention, for a visit that meant everything to the King.

The Swiss guard, standing to attention as the UK’s national anthem played out in the courtyard outside the Apostolic Palace.

Queen Camilla, wearing a distinctive black mantilla as a mark of respect to the Pope, as they made their way inside to meet Pope Leo XIV for the first time.

We know King Charles had built a relationship with Pope Francis before his death, now it appeared he was building a friendly rapport with his predecessor, as Pope Leo and the King happily talked away, both in English, meaning their conversation flowed more naturally.

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Will King and Pope distract from Andrew?

But while friendships between heads of state do matter diplomatically, this was also about making history.

Inside the Sistine Chapel, they prayed alongside each other. The first time a monarch and a pontiff have done that for 500 years, since Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church.

Pope Leo greets King Charles and Queen Camilla at the Vatican. Pic: AP
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Pope Leo greets King Charles and Queen Camilla at the Vatican. Pic: AP

Pope Leo and Archbishop of York are joined by the King and Queen during an act of worship in the Sistine Chapel. Pic: Vatican Media/Reuters
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Pope Leo and Archbishop of York are joined by the King and Queen during an act of worship in the Sistine Chapel. Pic: Vatican Media/Reuters

With King Charles also the supreme governor of the Church of England, the optics could not have been more significant for relations between the two faiths.

If you wanted to see how much King Charles’s interfaith work is appreciated, it came at the basilica of St Paul’s outside the walls.

An abbey with long-held links with English monarchs, where he was given the ceremonial title of royal confrater, and a special seat was made just for him and his heirs.

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Alongside religious matters, the two men talked publicly about their shared passion for the environment ahead of the UN’s climate conference COP, taking place in just over a week’s time.

With the King sent here on behalf of the government, and the foreign office emphasising how the Holy See is a vital global partner, we really saw brought into focus the soft power of the royals and the church, and how influential both can be.

King Charles's visit brings into focus the soft power of the royals. Pic PA
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King Charles’s visit brings into focus the soft power of the royals. Pic PA

King Charles at a garden reception at the Pontifical Beda College, where men prepare for the priesthood. Pic: PA
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King Charles at a garden reception at the Pontifical Beda College, where men prepare for the priesthood. Pic: PA

The interactions between the King and Pope showed a shared interest in a range of global issues.

But as the head of the Catholic Church for England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols pointed out to me, here are also two heads of state who sadly have issues around allegations of historical sexual abuse hanging over their institutions, and the decision on how to address that publicly.

There will be relief that there were no updates on the Prince Andrew problem today.

But despite Andrew vehemently denying that he has done anything wrong, revelations have kept coming.

And that is where the jeopardy lies for the royal family as they try to draw our attention back to important moments like this.

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Labour’s dominance in Caerphilly has crumbled like cheese – but a Reform win isn’t guaranteed

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Labour's dominance in Caerphilly has crumbled like cheese - but a Reform win isn't guaranteed

In 1645, the stronghold of Caerphilly’s famous medieval castle was besieged and captured by the forces of Oliver Cromwell.

And as the polls closed at 10pm after a bruising by-election battle, the Labour stronghold of Caerphilly was in grave danger of being captured by the forces of Nigel Farage and Reform UK in 2025.

Famous for the three Cs of coal, cheese and its castle, Caerphilly has been represented at Westminster by Labour MPs for more than a century and in Cardiff since 1999, when the Welsh Assembly was created.

That’s about to change. Labour’s vote – once as impregnable as the castle – has crumbled like Caerphilly cheese, and the Tories, Lib Dems and Green Party are nowhere.

Pic PA
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Pic PA

But Reform’s UK hopes of a famous victory in Caerphilly could be dashed by another political party hopeful of making a huge breakthrough in Wales, Plaid Cymru, second to Labour in last year’s general election and in every election for the Senedd since devolution.

As he arrived at the count at Caerphilly Leisure Centre shortly before the polls closed, Plaid Cymru’s veteran candidate, Lindsay Whittle, 72, was remarkably cheerful. Asked if he was going to win, he declared, punching the air: “I certainly hope so!”

An opinion poll in the constituency last week put support for Reform UK at 42%, Plaid Cymru 38%, Labour a dismal 12%, the Conservatives in lost deposit territory at 4%, along with the Greens at 3% and the Lib Dems barely registering at 1%.

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Unlike Cromwell’s forces, who arrived in Caerphilly on horseback nearly 400 years ago, Mr Farage galloped into the constituency on polling day in a fast car, in what was his third visit of the by-election campaign to the constituency.

A victory for Mr Farage’s candidate, 30-year-old Llyr Powell, would leave Reform UK on the road to further triumphs and have an impact on UK politics far beyond the Welsh Valleys. It would be a pointer to massive Reform UK gains in local, Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd elections next year.

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Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

It would turn the mood of Labour MPs from its current gloom and trepidation into blind panic and would convince them – if they were not convinced already – that Mr Farage is on the march to Downing Street and many of the 2024 Labour intake will lose their seats at the next general election.

But let’s not rule out a Plaid victory. That would send shockwaves throughout Wales and be seen as a clear signal that Labour’s 26-year dominance of the Welsh government is about to come to an undignified end.

The only certainties tonight are humiliation for Labour and near-wipeout for the Conservatives and Lib Dems.

The only uncertainty is whether it’s Reform UK or Plaid Cymru whose troops – like Cromwell’s in 1645 – capture Labour’s Caerphilly stronghold.

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