According to testimony given in court today, neonatal nurse Lucy Letby had a “mini-meltdown” after the near-fatal collapse of one baby and the deaths of three infants she is accused of murdering.
She claimed to be “nodding off” at a movie theater in a message she wrote to a coworker at the end of June 2015.
She said, “Last night, I had a mini-meltdown about what occurred at work…
I just need some alone time with my parents.
Letby, 32, of Hereford, is accused of killing seven children at the Countess of Chester Hospital in Cheshire and trying to kill another ten.
A child named Baby A passed away on June 8; a boy named Baby C passed away on June 14; and a boy named Baby D passed away on June 22.
Letby allegedly attempted to murder Baby B, Baby A’s identical twin, on June 8 only hours after she was born.
According to testimony given in court, Baby B’s accused attacker sent a coworker a message on June 10 asking, “Will you let me know if any change?” during the time Baby B was still healing.
Later, the second nurse sent a message stating that Baby B’s status had not changed.
At 10.08 p.m., when Letby called again, her coworker said that B was “looking extremely fantastic.”
Claire Hocknell, a Cheshire Police intelligence specialist, read out to the jury the text messages and Letby’s Facebook searches of the mother of the twins.
She told KC for the defendant, Ben Myers, that Letby had conducted similar searches on a number of other parents of the infants she dealt with at work. Many of these women gave birth to children who weren’t part of the experiment.
It happens after the court heard yesterday that Letby cut a strand of Baby A’s hair and photographed his hand and foot prints in order to create a memory box for the baby’s grieving parents.
The information is revealed in a few of the many texts she sent with coworkers after the infant’s “sudden and unexpected” collapse on June 8, 2015.
A review of her online activity also showed that she often searched for Baby A’s mother on Facebook, starting with the first one at 9.58am the morning of his passing.
While employed in a neonatal unit between June 2015 and June 2016, the 32-year-old neonatal nurse is accused of killing seven newborn babies and trying to kill 10 more.
On June 7, 2015, two of the newborns, twins Baby A and Baby B, were delivered at the Countess of Chester Hospital in Cheshire within a minute of one another.
On June 8, Letby is alleged to have killed Baby A by putting air into his body. The nurse is also charged with trying to murder his identical twin sister the same way the night before.
Just hours after Baby A’s fall, Letby repeatedly searched for her mother’s Facebook profile, according to an examination of her internet behavior presented in court.
At the same time, she was receiving consolation from coworkers. Letby told a nurse, “It was horrific. Just after the transfer, he passed away extremely abruptly and violently. not certain why. The coroner has been notified. They are looking at a clotting issue. Really sad.
The coworker replied, referring to the conclusion of her own shift earlier that day: “Oh God, he was doing pretty well when I left.”
Then Letby said, “Just collapsed quite abruptly.” Awful. On Monday, he had a great day, and I took over Monday night.
The coworker expressed regret that Letby was caring for him at the time and said, “I’m sorry that occurred.” You’re not currently having a good run.
I wasn’t meant to be there either, Letby retorted. But regrettably, these things happen.
The nurse said that the parents of Babies A and B had been “beside themselves” with worry that their little daughter would also pass away.
The medical staff started questioning each other about the “oddness” of Baby A’s death on June 30 as well as the deaths of two other newborns that month, Baby C on June 6 and Baby D on June 22.
There’s something strange about that night with the others leaving quickly, one nurse said in a message to Letby. It’s odd that we lost three, and under various conditions.
Letby said, “I dunno…
Were they really that dissimilar?
The colleague said, “It’s (Baby A) I can’t get my mind around,” before making reference to the health problems of Baby C and Baby D.
The court also saw texts sent by Letby’s coworkers comforting her after Baby A died. One of the texts read: “Fortunately it doesn’t happen very frequently here, not that that’s any consolation at all.” You may find me at xxxx if you want to speak or do anything.
Before commencing her next planned shift on June 9, Letby wrote a message expressing concern about caring for the deceased baby’s surviving twin, Baby B.
When another nurse enquired, she said, “Hello, Lucy. Wishing you well.
Letby said, “I believe we all did the best we could under extremely trying and tragic circumstances. Have had little sleep. I don’t really want to visit my folks, but I have to.
I told [another nurse] that I can’t take care of [Child B] because I’m unsure of how I’ll feel when I meet the parents.
When we carried him to the morgue, Dad was sobbing and begging us not to take our kid away. Just heartbreaking, really.
“I’ve never had to do anything harder than this.” Have hopefully a better one tonight.
In response, the coworker said she would rather Letby look after the child so her parents “don’t have a whole different face.”
The same nurse complimented Letby for how she handled the situation at 6.38 p.m. the day after Baby A died.
She was informed by the nurse, “You did wonderful. I’m really happy for you.
Hope that doesn’t seem patronizing, she said.
You did well.
“I can’t fathom how difficult it must have been,” her more experienced colleague retorted.
Just over an hour later, at 8 o’clock, Letby messaged her coworker once again to express how difficult it had been to get to the hospital for her shift and meet Baby A’s parents.
Remember that you’re not alone, her coworker told her.
We definitely have a terrific team, the colleague said later that evening. Although you’re all essential, I simply wish I could have given you the night off.
It’s the last time I do you a favor by switching shifts, Letby wrote in response, referring to the time she was on duty in the unit and filling in for a coworker. Ha ha!’
Yes, I did think that, her colleague said in response. However, I’m certain the females appreciated your presence.
In addition to texts concerning the nurses’ social life outside of the newborn ward, the hundreds of messages shown to the jury contained texts about Letby’s work on the unit.
Letby said in one message after Baby A’s passing: “We all need answers.”
Later, she revealed to a coworker that she had been watching the television documentary An Hour To Save Your Life, which followed daily life in a newborn ward.
The lady explained: “Get enough in work” when she indicated she didn’t watch such programs.
However, Letby offered an explanation for her interest: “I simply find it intriguing to observe how our work is conveyed to the public.”
The same coworker informed Letby that Baby A’s parents had stolen a memory box regarding their kid at 11.09 p.m.
Letby responded, “Oh nice. I had hoped they would find solace.”
At 11.31 p.m., 20 minutes later, she was looking up the mother of the deceased infant on Facebook.
The mother of Baby A was overheard pleading, “Please don’t let my baby die,” according to prior testimony given in court. As they attempted to revive him, she pleaded, “Please don’t let my baby die.”
Meanwhile, the court heard that the father of the twins was in shock and had been “frozen like a statue.”
Their mother was dozing off when she and her husband learned that their son, who had been born second, had a problem.
The mother recalls watching a movie when a male staff member barged in, according to a statement handed to the jury at Manchester Crown Court. You must arrive right now, he added.
When the couple entered the newborn ward, they saw several physicians and nurses attempting valiantly to save her son’s life.
I recall seeing what I can only characterize as hundreds of people gathered around his cot, she said. Whether I wanted her to say a prayer, a nurse inquired if I was religious.
Dr. Rav Jayaram, a unit consultant, approached the parents and said that Baby A would be badly brain injured even if he could be brought back.
He said that in order to cease CPR, they would need my consent. I couldn’t bring myself to say “stop” because I was so angry. My spouse was the one who stated, “You have to… You are being mean. He is no longer present.
The mother said, “I could only force myself to nod.” The fact that I was never able to hold my kid while he was alive is one of the things that saddens me the most, she said.
For the next two hours, Baby A was kept in a “hot cot” incubator while preparations were made to transport him to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool for a postmortem.
Letby disputes all charges. The trial goes on.