Lucy Letby: Parents of baby killer’s victims reveal their heartbreak in court

Published

2 years ago

August 21, 2023

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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.”

‘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.”

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.”

‘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.

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.”

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.

UK

England and Scotland fans discover where their opening World Cup games will be played

Published

14 hours ago

December 6, 2025

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England and Scotland fans discover where their opening World Cup games will be played

England and Scotland fans have found out where their World Cup group games will be played when the tournament kicks off in June.

England, who are in Group L, will begin their tournament against Croatia in Dallas at 4pm EST (9pm BST) on 17 June. They will then go on to face Ghana in Boston at 4pm EST (9pm BST) on 23 June and Panama in New Jersey, New York, at 5pm EST (10pm BST) on 27 June.

Scotland are in Group C, and their first match will be against Haiti in Boston at 9pm EST on 13 June (2am GMT the following morning).

They will go up against Morocco also in Boston at 6pm EST (11pm GMT) on 19 June and then Brazil in Miami at 6pm EST (11pm GMT) on 24 June.

Fans are expected to rush to sort their travel and accommodation plans now that they know where and when the matches take place.

Wales and Northern Ireland have yet to find out if they will qualify.

Wales must face a play-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Cardiff, then either Italy or Northern Ireland, if they are victorious.

If they beat these play-off opponents, they will secure their place in Group B alongside Canada, Qatar and Switzerland.

However, Northern Ireland will also be vying to guarantee their spot in the same group if they can beat Italy and then either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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World Cup 2026 – who England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will play

Published

1 day ago

December 6, 2025

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World Cup 2026 - who England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will play

Scotland and England now know who they will face in the group stage of the next summer’s world cup.

But the fates of Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Wales won’t be determined until they compete in pre-tournament play-off matches in March.

England are in Group L along with Croatia, Panama and Ghana. Their first match will be against Croatia, who beat them in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Scotland’s first match will be against Haiti, in Group C.

Brazil and Morocco are the other Group C teams – both countries were also in the same opening group as Scotland in the 1998 World Cup in France.

Wales have yet to find out if they will qualify as they must face a play-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Cardiff, and then either Italy or Northern Ireland, if they are victorious.

If they can overcome these play-off opponents then they will secure their place in Group B along with Canada, Qatar and Switzerland. But Northern Ireland will also be vying and hoping to guarantee their spot in the same group if they can beat Italy and then either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Republic of Ireland also need to get through the play-offs first and are paired against the Czech Republic for their semi-final. Should Ireland win that match, they will need to beat either North Macedonia or Denmark to get to the finals where an opening group containing joint hosts Mexico, South Africa and South Korea awaits.

UK

Crafted for one man – this was a World Cup draw like no other

Published

1 day ago

December 6, 2025

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Crafted for one man - this was a World Cup draw like no other

This was a World Cup draw like no other. Crafted less for the teams but for one man.

The choice of venue. The creation of a new trophy. The closing music act.

Donald Trump was lavished with the adulation he craves by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and feels others unfairly deny him.

Knowing how much being overlooked by the Nobel Committee hurt the US president, there was Mr Infantino with FIFA’s newly-created Peace Prize to hand over. And a medal for Mr Trump to wear.

“This is truly one of the great honours of my life,” he said. “And beyond awards, Gianni and I were discussing this. We saved millions and millions of lives.”

This was all on the stage in front of an audience who turned up to find out who they will be playing at the World Cup.

England handed an undaunting route past Croatia, Panama and Ghana. Scotland paired with newcomers Haiti before tricky reunions from their last men’s World Cup in 1998 against Brazil and Morocco.

But the show before the draw could even begin – presided over by Rio Ferdinand – took almost as long as a football match, at 87 minutes after the noon kick-off was delayed.

There was a walk of self-promotion to complete – “I guess they have to wait” – before taking his seat in the Kennedy Center. Or the Trump Kennedy Center as the president takes to calling the venue picked 1.5 miles from the White House.

“It was falling apart,” he said, delaying the walk into the auditorium. “And now it’s, it’s pretty much back.”

Mr Infantino could only watch on, beaming, at his friend.

“We had a dead country,” Mr Trump went on, “and now we have the hottest country anywhere in the world”.

There was the awkwardness of being reminded, before receiving the peace accolade, about threats to launch military strikes on Venezuela to stop the drugs trade.

“I did settle eight wars, and we have a ninth coming,” he swatted away the question. “Which nobody’s ever done before. But I want to really save lives. I don’t need prizes.”

But FIFA knew how much he wanted more gold for the collection with the prize.

More on this story:
What draw means for England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland

And for all the mockery and disdain targeted at FIFA, how many sports would relish having the US president spend several hours attending a procedural event determining the placing of teams in groups for a tournament?

How many would dish out the same flattery to secure direct lines to the leader of the nation staging their championship?

Many have benefited from Mr Trump’s stardust and swagger being attached to this spectacle.

Even Port Vale’s most famous fan – Robbie Williams – secured a walk-on role, exceeding his profile this side of the Pond.

And the Village People are reaping the rewards of becoming the unlikeliest of Trump hype acts.

The festivities ended with eyes fixed back up to the presidential seating and the YMCA dance being performed.

This was an afternoon that dispelled any pretence that FIFA keeps a distance from politics. It was unapologetically political. But few speak out in the FIFA world as the redistributed wealth keeps rolling back in their direction.

It would be easy to forget this isn’t entirely America’s World Cup. They’re sharing hosting with Canada and Mexico.

And eventually the spotlight was ceded to their leaders – very briefly – as Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney drew out their countries’ names.

But it did live up to FIFA’s mantra that football can unite the world.

The neighbours were brought together here on a snowy day in Washington. And tensions – often stoked by Mr Trump with Canada and Mexico – thawed in the name of football.