Lucy Letby verdict – latest: Doctors who flagged concerns over killer nurse ‘were ordered to apologise’
The former chief executive of the hospital where Lucy Letby murdered seven babies ordered doctors who raised concerns about her to apologise, it has been reported.
Consultants warned for months that the nurse had been the only medic present during the sudden collapses and deaths of a number of premature babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
But they were told to apologise in January 2017 after two reviews found no wrongdoing against her, The Guardian reports.
After one of the reviews Tony Chambers, then the hospital’s chief executive, said he had spent hours talking to Letby and her father and believed she was innocent.
Mr Chambers then ordered the consultants to apologise to Letby and said she would return to work on the unit imminently, the paper said.
However, she did not return to the neonatal unit and a police investigation began four months later.
Earlier, doctor Ravi Jayaram, a consultant at the hospital, said he was warned against reporting Letby to police as “it would be really bad for the reputation of the trust” – calling it a “Kafkaesque situation”.
Key Points
Doctors who raised alarm about Letby were ordered to apologise to her
Nurse convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six others
Letby refuses to attend court for sentencing
Government orders independent inquiry
Ex-hospital chief ‘truly sorry'
Doctors who raised concerns about Letby where ordered to aologise to her
09:12 , Matt Mathers
Senior doctors who flagged concerns about Lucy Letby were ordered to apologise to her by a boss at the hospital where she murdered seven babies, it has been reported.
Colleagues of Letby warned for months that the nurse had been the only medic present during the sudden collapses and deaths of a number of premature babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
But they were told to apologise in January 2017 after two reviews found no wrongdoing against her, The Guardian reports.
After one of the reviews Tony Chambers, then the hospital’s chief executive, said he had spent hours talking to Letby and her father and believed she was innocent.
Mr Chambers then ordered the consultants to apologise to Letby and said she would return to work on the unit imminently, the paper said. However, she did not return to the neonatal unit and a police investigation began four months later.
‘We stand by her’: Lucy Letby’s friend says killing ‘not in her nature’ before verdict
16:18 , Matt Drake
A friend of Lucy Letby has revealed that her friends have ‘stood by her’ and ‘won’t believe she’s guilty until she says she is’, in revelations taken from BBC‘s Panorama - which was filmed before her guilty verdict.
In the programme, Dawn, who met Letby at secondary school, described the nurse as ‘goofy’ and ‘kind’.
See the video below.
‘We stand by her’: Lucy Letby’s friend supports nurse in interview before verdict
Calls grow for full public inquiry into hospital’s handling of serial killer nurse
15:14 , Matt Mathers
Calls are growing for a full public inquiry into serial killer nurse Lucy Letby’s murders amid fears the probe announced will lack the powers needed to get justice for the families and prevent future deaths.
Health secretary Steve Barclay announced an independent inquiry on Friday after Letby was found guilty of murdering seven babies and the attempted murder of six others in the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital where she worked between June 2015 and June 2016.
Click here for the full report.
Why did serial killer nurse murder seven babies?
14:30 , Matt Mathers
Nurse Lucy Letby has been found guilty of murdering seven babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital in a rare case that has shocked the nation.
An independent inquiry has been set up to understand how Letby was able to carry out the killings and attempt six others before being reported to the police.
The reasons why Letby, a neonatal nurse, committed the murders may never be fully understood, although prosecutors and other experts told jurors during her trial of several possible motivations.
Here, The Independent takes a look at some of the main theories discussed in court:
Lucy Letby motive: Why did serial killer nurse murder seven babies?
Carers who kill: Lucy Letby joins a gruesome list of medical monsters, from Harold Shipman to Beverley Allitt
14:00 , Natalie Crockett
Killer nurse Lucy Letby joins a grim list of medical professionals who exploited their position to harm the vulnerable patients they were supposed to care for.
Letby has been convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six others, one of them twice, at a hospital neonatal unit.
Prosecutors said Letby, 33, was a “calculated opportunist” who used the vulnerabilities of premature and sick infants to camouflage her acts.
In 2015 and 2016, there was a significant rise in the number of babies who suffered serious and unexpected collapses in the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Below, we look at the most notorious examples of Britain’s medical murderers.
Read more here:
Carers who kill: Letby joins gruesome list of medical monsters from Shipman to Allitt
Nurse Lucy Letby joins list of UK’s most notorious child killers
13:15 , Natalie Crockett
A nurse was unmasked as the worst serial killer of children in modern UK history on Friday after a jury found her guilty of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder six more while working on a neonatal unit.
Lucy Letby, 33, was working at the Countess of Chester Hospital when she carried out the string of attacks on tiny, premature babies between 2015 and 2016.
Jurors spent 22-and-a-half days deliberating before reaching their verdicts in one of the UK’s most high-profile criminal trials.
The nurse, who is facing life behind bars, joins a list of the UK’s most twisted child murderers.
Read more here:
Lucy Letby joins list of UK’s most notorious child killers
Doctor who helped catch Lucy Letby describes ‘nightmare’ event that convinced him she was killer
12:30 , Natalie Crockett
A doctor who helped catch killer nurse Lucy Letby has described a night that will be “in his nightmares” and first made him suspicious of the killer nurse.
Dr Ravi Jayaram, who is a consultant paediatrician at the Countess of Chester Hospital, claims he had watched Letby ‘stand’ over a sick baby without raising any alarm or attempting to help.
“As I walked towards the incubator, I could see on the monitors that the oxygen saturations were dropping, and they’d dropped to a level that ordinarily the alarms would’ve been going off and the nurse would’ve called for help”, he told ITV.
“She was just standing there.”
When was Lucy Letby arrested? Key dates in the investigation of baby-killing nurse
12:00 , Natalie Crockett
Neonatal nurse Letby was found guilty on Friday of murdering seven babies, making her one of Britain’s most prolific child serial killers.
The 33-year-old deliberately injected infants with air or poisoned them with insulin between June 2015 and 2016. Other babies, who had been born prematurely or had specific vulnerable needs, were harmed by being fed excessive amounts of milk while one was physically assaulted. She was also convicted of attempting to murder six other babies.
Here are the key dates surrounding the investigation:
‘Concerns’ that inquiry does not have power to compel witnesses to give evidence
11:10 , Natalie Crockett
Samantha Dixon, Labour MP for Chester, said she wrote to Health Secretary Steve Barclay calling for a full independent and public inquiry as soon as Lucy Letby was found guilty.
She welcomed the Department of Health and Social Care’s announcement that it had ordered an independent inquiry, but she raised concerns about it being a non-statutory inquiry.
“I do have some concerns about the risks around a non-statutory inquiry in that people are not obliged to attend and to give evidence,” she told BBC Breakfast.
“So I have replied to him and asked him why he has come to that decision, given that there are these risks and that we need full answers.”
She added: “A non-statutory inquiry almost relies on the goodwill of witnesses to attend. They are not obliged to attend, they’re not compelled to attend.”
‘Common features’ on Letby case and other maternity failures
10:19 , Natalie Crockett
Dr Bill Kirkup, who led the reviews into poor care in maternity units in Morecambe Bay and East Kent, said there were “common features” between the Lucy Letby case and reviews he has conducted into poor care in maternity units in other hospitals.
He told BBC Breakfast: “I think there are a number of common features that underpin a lot of these different investigations and ring bells with what I’ve been hearing about what happened in the Countess of Chester Hospital, particularly the difficulty in persuading people that there’s a real problem here that must be investigated and must be looked at properly and independently.
“And particularly the chasm that can open up between clinicians who are reporting problems and managers who don’t necessarily want to hear.”
He added: “I heard yesterday for the first time in this connection, the phrase ‘protecting reputation’ on the part of the Trust and that rings a massive bell for me because that’s been a feature of everything that I’ve been involved with for the last 12 years or so.
“The first reaction of people under these circumstances in management, controlling organisations, is to protect reputations - the organisation’s reputation, their own reputation.
“And when that comes ahead of being open and honest about what’s going on, that’s tragic. We have to be able to stop this.”
The chilling ‘souvenirs’ of baby deaths killer nurse Lucy Letby kept under her bed
09:41 , Matt Mathers
A note of medications given to a baby boy as he fought back from the brink of death was among items found under nurse Lucy Letby’s bed.
The record of emergency drugs provided to the infant was written on a paper towel during his 30-minute resuscitation at the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit.
Letby, 33, gave rescue breaths to the youngster, Child M, after she responded to his cot monitor alarm.
Kim Pilling reports:
The chilling ‘souvenirs’ of baby deaths killer nurse Letby kept under her bed
Families of Lucy Letby’s victims demand answers on why killing spree wasn’t stopped sooner
08:54 , Matt Mathers
The families of babies murdered by Lucy Letby have vowed to continue their search for answers as pressure mounted on the hospital where she worked over what more could have been done to stop her killing spree.
The 33-year-old “rogue” nurse was convicted of the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of six more during her shifts on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital over a year in 2015 and 2016.
The families of her victims have said they have been left “heartbroken, devastated, angry and feel numb” by her actions.
Gwyn Wright reports:
Families of Lucy Letby’s victims vow to continue search for answers on why she killed
Give inquiry extra powers if witnesses do not come forward, Conservative MP urges government
08:30 , Matt Mathers
The inquiry into mass murderer Lucy Letby should be given extra powers if witnesses do not come forward to give evidence, a Conservative MP has said.
Ministers have already launched a probe but it is a non-statutory inquiry, meaning people are not required by law to attend.
Dr Caroline Johnson, a consultant who represents Sleaford and North Hykeham and sits on parliament’s health committee, said she thought the government’s initial decision was the right one but added that extra powers should be given to the inquiry if they were needed.
She told BBC Radio 4 Today: “We need lessons to be learned and answers quickly. I appreciate that people can’t be compelled in the same way but I would hope nevertheless people would still come forward.
“If you have a situation where people don’t come forward - and extra powers are needed by the person who leads the inquiry - then the government will need to look again at the type of inquiry.
“But in the first instance the government’s probably taken the right approach of doing the inquiry quickly.
‘Completely remarkable’ doctors raising concers were not listened to - Tory MP
07:59 , Matt Mathers
It is “completely remarkable” that doctors raising concerns about mass murderer Lucy Letby were not listened to, a Conservative MP has said.
Dr Caroline Johnson, a consultant who represents Sleaford and North Hykeham and sits on parliament’s health committee, said bosses at the Countess of Chester hospital where Letby worked had questions to answer.
“When you’ve got seven consultant paediatricians, experts in their field, looking after babies on a neo-natal ward…who are telling you…that these events are unusual…to then say that you’re not going to take action seems completely remarkable to me,” she told BBC Radio 4.
Letby’s mother cried out as daughter found guilty of murder
07:00 , Jane Dalton
Killer nurse Lucy Letby remained entirely emotionless as the jury returned guilty verdicts in the hospital baby poisoning trial that lasted nine months, but her mother sobbed uncontrollably and wailed at the jury:
Lucy Letby’s mother cried out as daughter was found guilty of murder
Watch: Police footage shows neonatal unit
06:30 , Jane Dalton
Letby joins list of UK’s most notorious child killers
05:55 , Jane Dalton
The nurse is now the worst serial killer of children in modern UK history, after the likes of the Moors murderers:
Lucy Letby joins list of UK’s most notorious child killers
Watch: Letby found guilty
05:00 , Jane Dalton
ICYMI:
'Parents should be able to quiz inquiry chair before appointment’
03:50 , Jane Dalton
A crossbench peer who conducted an inquiry into child protection in 2003 following the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham a year earlier, said the parents of Letby’s victims should be able to meet and question any proposed chair of the inquiry before their appointment.
Lord Bichard also said he was “slightly surprised” ministers had not put the inquiry into the Letby case onto a statutory footing.
Asked on BBC Radio 4’s PM whether the inquiry could have less power as a result, he said: “It doesn’t have to be toothless. You have a huge weight of public opinion behind you if you are chairing an inquiry like this. And that will make it very difficult for someone you want to interview to say no.
“But if you can set up a statutory inquiry, why not set up a statutory inquiry? I don’t know.”
City of Chester MP Samantha Dixon had called for a full, independent and public inquiry into the case.
NHS ‘will do everything possible to prevent a repeat case’
02:50 , Jane Dalton
England’s chief nurse says the NHS “is fully committed to doing everything we can to prevent anything like this ever happening again”.
Apologising to the families involved, Ruth May said she welcomed the independent inquiry to help ensure every possible lesson is learnt “from this awful case”.
Colleagues within the nursing profession and across the health service have been shocked and sickened to learn of Lucy Letby’s appalling crimes. On behalf of all of us, I would like to express our profound apologies to the families for all they have been through.
— Ruth May 💙 (@CNOEngland) August 18, 2023
Letby weaponised her craft to inflict harm, grief and death, police say
02:15 , Jane Dalton
Pascale Jones from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Lucy Letby was entrusted to protect some of the most vulnerable babies - little did those working alongside her know that there was a murderer in their midst.”
Lucy Letby ‘weaponised her craft to inflict harm and death’ on newborns, police say
Families of four babies left waiting for answers as jury discharged
01:35 , Jane Dalton
Families of four babies whom Lucy Letby allegedly attacked have been left waiting for answers as the jury was unable to reach verdicts on all counts:
Families of four babies left waiting for answers as Letby jury discharged
Hospital staff devastated over murders, medical chief says
Saturday 19 August 2023 00:45 , Jane Dalton
Killer driven to kill babies by ‘pathological desire for attention’
Saturday 19 August 2023 00:01 , Jane Dalton
Murderer nurse Lucy Letby may have been motivated to kill by a “pathological desire for attention and sympathy”, a criminology expert has said. In case you missed it:
Letby motivated by pathological desire for attention, expert says
Letby colleague says staff suspected nurse was on shift when alarms sounded
Friday 18 August 2023 23:32 , Jane Dalton
A nurse who worked at the Countess of Chester Hospital alongside Lucy Letby said colleagues were suspicious that the killer was on shift when alarms would go off during the night:
Lucy Letby’s colleague says staff suspected nurse was on shift when alarms sounded
The neonatal unit where killer worked
Friday 18 August 2023 22:59 , Jane Dalton
Watch:
Chilling ‘souvenirs’ killer kept under her bed
Friday 18 August 2023 22:00 , Jane Dalton
A note of medications given to a baby boy as he fought back from the brink of death was among items found under nurse Letby’s bed. The record of emergency drugs was written on a paper towel during his 30-minute resuscitation:
The chilling ‘souvenirs’ of baby deaths killer nurse Letby kept under her bed
Timeline of baby killer
Friday 18 August 2023 21:35 , Jane Dalton
Lucy Letby joins a gruesome list of medical monsters
Friday 18 August 2023 21:05 , Jane Dalton
Letby is not the first medical professional to exploited their position to harm vulnerable patients:
Carers who kill: Letby joins gruesome list of medical monsters from Shipman to Allitt
In pictures: the police search
Friday 18 August 2023 20:40 , Jane Dalton
Letby refuses to attend sentencing
Friday 18 August 2023 20:32 , Jane Dalton
Letby has indicated she does not want to take any part in her sentencing hearing next week or to follow Monday’s sentencing hearing via videolink from prison, the court was told:
Lucy Letby indicates she will not attend sentencing for child serial killings
Consultants were told to apologise to nurse for raising concerns
Friday 18 August 2023 20:18 , Jane Dalton
Consultants who raised concerns about Letby were told by hospital bosses to apologise to her formally in writing, the nurse’s murder trial heard.
It emerged during legal argument at Manchester Crown Court that a grievance procedure Letby started was resolved in her favour, and a number of consultants were required to apologise to her formally in writing:
Consultants were told to apologise to nurse for raising concerns, court told
Babies could have been saved if hospital acted sooner, say consultants
Friday 18 August 2023 20:00 , Jane Dalton
Two doctors who worked on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital raised concerns about Letby in 2015, and say the infants could have been saved if hospital management had listened and acted sooner:
Babies could have been saved if hospital acted sooner, consultants say
Key evidence presented during trial
Friday 18 August 2023 19:53 , Jane Dalton
Watch:
All the babies will for ever be in our hearts, says police chief
Friday 18 August 2023 19:40 , Jane Dalton
Police will still support the families involved, and the babies will stay in officers’ hearts, a senior officer has said.
Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Evans, of Cheshire Constabulary, said: “All of their babies will for ever be in our hearts.
“I would like to thank all of the families in this case for their exceptional resilience and strength throughout this entire investigation, their composure and their dignity during this trial has been truly overwhelming.
“The investigation into the circumstances surrounding this case started in May 2017, since that time hundreds of witnesses have been spoken to by a team of dedicated detectives.
“Many of those witnesses have returned to court on numerous occasions to give evidence, without their honesty and their support the families would not have received the justice that they have received today.
“I cannot begin to imagine how the families in this case feel today, I just hope that today’s verdicts bring all of them some peace of mind for the future, and that we have answered some of the questions that they were looking for.
“Cheshire Constabulary will continue to support all of the families in this case in the coming days and weeks ahead, there will be a period of reflection as everybody comes to terms with what they’ve experienced here today.”
Families ‘heartbroken, angry and numb'
Friday 18 August 2023 19:16 , Jane Dalton
The families of the victims of Britain’s worst child serial killer say they are “heartbroken, devastated, angry and feel numb”:
Families of child victims of ‘rogue’ nurse Lucy Letby left ‘devastated and angry’
Letby became very annoyed when she failed to murder twin babies, parents say
Friday 18 August 2023 19:00 , Jane Dalton
The police interview
Friday 18 August 2023 18:45 , Jane Dalton
The nurse being interviewed under police caution:
Criminologist’s theories on what motivated killer
Friday 18 August 2023 18:35 , Jane Dalton
James Treadwell, professor in criminology at Staffordshire University, said he believed there were similarities between Letby and Beverley Allitt, a nurse who killed four babies and poisoned nine others at Grantham and Kesteven Hospital, Lincolnshire, in 1991.
Prof Treadwell suggested a number of reasons why Letby could have committed the crimes, including that she is a narcissist; Munchausen syndrome by proxy; she enjoyed the risk; she used the offences as a means for attention from the doctor prosecutors said she had a “crush” on; or evil.
But he said he thinks that answering “how” is much more important than the “why” question – which he believes will never be answered – because finding out how could prevent it happening again.
Prof Treadwell said: “The police described her as beige but beige people can do evil acts as well, it’s not that it always comes from the people that radiate malice.
“Sometimes those who do the most evil acts can be remarkably beige.”
He added: “One of the things that is quite interesting is she is being compared in the media more to Myra Hindley and Rose West, but Beverley Allitt is often forgotten as a serial killer, people don’t remember her.
“We can suggest conditions like Munchausen by proxy and narcissism, it could simply be that there’s an element of enjoying the risk.
“I saw suggestions that she had an infatuation with one of the doctors, it could simply be that harming the children could not have been significant in her thought process, that it would be a vehicle for something else.
“Is there evil? I’ve never believed that people are evil, some will do evil acts and many are capable of doing evil acts.
“All of these things are possible in the case of Letby. I think the problem is, will people ever know?
“We’ll never be furnished with a ‘why’ from her, she’ll continue to protest her innocence.”
Letby was ‘faffing’ when baby she murdered was covered in blood, says mother
Friday 18 August 2023 18:20 , Jane Dalton
Letby was “faffing and not doing anything” while a premature baby boy she murdered was covered in blood, the baby’s mother has said:
Lucy Letby was ‘faffing’ when baby she murdered was covered in blood – mother
Friday 18 August 2023 18:05 , Jane Dalton
A police van believed to be carrying Lucy Letby leaving Manchester Crown Court after she was found guilty of the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of six others:
NHS will do everything possible to prevent another case, says chief nurse
Friday 18 August 2023 17:55 , Jane Dalton
Dame Ruth May, chief nursing officer for England, said: “Lucy Letby committed appalling crimes that were a terrible betrayal of the trust placed in her and our thoughts are with the families affected, who have experienced pain and suffering that few of us can imagine.
“Colleagues within the nursing profession and across the health service have been shocked and sickened to learn what she did, actions beyond belief to the nurses and staff working so hard to save lives and care for patients.
“On behalf of all of us, I would like to express our profound apologies to the families for all they have been through.
“The NHS is fully committed to doing everything we can to prevent anything like this ever happening again and we welcome the independent inquiry announced by the Department of Health and Social Care to help ensure we learn every possible lesson from this awful case.”
How Letby comforted her victims’ parents
Friday 18 August 2023 17:41 , Jane Dalton
“Trust me, I’m a nurse,” she smiled at her, and the mother did, completely. She took advantage of the position of trust that she held to carry out a horrific campaign of attacks on the most vulnerable, but no one knows why she did it:
How Lucy Letby comforted her victims’ parents as she hid evil secret
‘Nothing can prepare you for this,’ say families
Friday 18 August 2023 17:20 , Jane Dalton
The families involved said they had been through a “long, torturous and emotional journey”.
They said in a statement: “Words cannot effectively explain how we are feeling at this moment in time.
“We are quite simply stunned.
“To lose a baby is a heartbreaking experience that no parent should ever have to go through, but to lose a baby or to have a baby harmed in these particular circumstances is unimaginable.
“Over the past seven to eight years we have had to go through a long, torturous and emotional journey.
“From losing our precious newborns and grieving their loss, seeing our children who survived, some of whom are still suffering today, to being told years later that their death or collapse might be suspicious - nothing can prepare you for that news.”
Moment killer nurse arrested
Friday 18 August 2023 17:10 , Jane Dalton
The moment Letby was arrested by police:
Parents and families will be listened to, says minister
Friday 18 August 2023 16:55 , Jane Dalton
Health secretary Steve Barclay says he is determined the voices of parents and families involved are heard, and they can help shape the scope of the inquiry.
I would like to send my deepest sympathy to all the parents and families affected by the horrendous case of Lucy Letby.
I have ordered an independent inquiry, which will seek to ensure the parents and families impacted get the answers they need.
1/3— Steve Barclay (@SteveBarclay) August 18, 2023
Missed opportunities to catch a killer
Friday 18 August 2023 16:40 , Jane Dalton
Serial killer nurse Lucy Letby was free to target babies for nearly a year after she murdered her first patient as hospital leaders repeatedly ignored concerns raised by whistleblowers, The Independent has learnt:
Could Lucy Letby have been stopped sooner? The missed opportunities to catch killer
Ex-hospital chief ‘truly sorry'
Friday 18 August 2023 16:30 , Jane Dalton
Tony Chambers, former chief executive of the Countess of Chester Hospital, said he was “truly sorry” for what the families had gone through.
Mr Chambers said: “All my thoughts are with the children at the heart of this case and their families and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time.”
In a statement on BBC News, he added: “I am truly sorry for what all the families have gone through.
“The crimes that have been committed are appalling and I am deeply saddened by what has come to light.”
Mr Chambers said he would co-operate fully and openly with any post-trial inquiry.
Watch: Letby tells police she was concerned baby deaths had risen
Friday 18 August 2023 16:20 , Jane Dalton
Parents ‘exposed to nurse’s morbid curiosity'
Friday 18 August 2023 16:15 , Jane Dalton
Crown Prosecutor Pascale Jones said of Letby: “Parents were exposed to her morbid curiosity and her fake compassion.
“Too many of them returned home to empty baby rooms. Many surviving children live with permanent consequences of her assaults upon their lives.
“Her attacks were a complete betrayal of the trust placed in her.
“My thoughts are with families of the victims who may never have closure, but who now have answers to questions which had troubled them for years.”
Government orders independent inquiry into case
Friday 18 August 2023 16:03 , Jane Dalton
The government has ordered an independent inquiry into the case of Lucy Letby, who has been found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others.
The government said it would investigate the circumstances behind the crimes to ensure “vital lessons are learnt”:
Government orders independent inquiry into Letby case
In pictures: Lucy Letby trial
Friday 18 August 2023 15:45 , Sam Rkaina
Letby ‘fought back tears’ after first verdicts
Friday 18 August 2023 15:44 , Sam Rkaina
Also found during searches, the court heard, were more than 250 shift handover sheets containing names of some of the children on the trial indictment.
Mr Johnson said “voyeuristic tendencies” drove her to carry out numerous Facebook searches for parents of children she attacked.
The “rogue nurse” falsified medical notes to cover her tracks and also gaslighted doctors and nurses to persuade them the collapses were “just a run of bad luck”.
She was also prepared to publicly trash the reputations of colleagues “in an effort to get away with it”, the prosecutor added.
Letby, from Hereford, denied all the allegations.
The jury of seven women and four men returned partial verdicts as trial judge Mr Justice Goss imposed a reporting ban until their deliberations were complete.
On August 8 the jury – on its 15th day of deliberations – unanimously found her guilty of attempting to murder two infants by poisoning them with insulin.
Letby fought back tears in the middle of the dock after the verdicts were returned by the jury foreman.
She burst out crying as she left the courtroom with prison officers as relatives of the victims looked on from the public gallery.
Letby note was “literal” confession
Friday 18 August 2023 15:43 , Sam Rkaina
Letby was confined to clerical work and in September 2016 registered a grievance procedure.
It emerged during legal argument in the trial – in the absence of the jury – that the grievance procedure was resolved in Letby’s favour in December 2016.
Letby was due to return to the neonatal unit in March 2017, but the move did not take place as soon after police were contacted by the hospital trust.
The nurse was arrested at her semi-detached home in Westbourne Road, Chester, at 6am on July 3 2018.
During searches of her address, a number of closely written notes were discovered.
On one green Post-it note she wrote: “I don’t deserve to live. I killed them on purpose because I’m not good enough to care for them”, “I am a horrible evil person” and in capital letters “I am evil I did this”.
Prosecutor Nick Johnson KC invited the jurors to read the note “literally” as a confession.
