The Lucy Letby trial heard today that a premature baby girl survived an air injection similar to the one that allegedly killed her twin brother.
On June 10, 2015, Baby B was three days old when she suddenly collapsed in the neonatal ward of the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Similar to her brother, paramedics who responded to an accident report observed that she had purple and white spots all over her body.
Dr. Sandie Bohin, a prominent paediatrician called in by the prosecution, said the jury at Manchester Crown Court that despite being “very impaired” at birth, the infant had responded exceptionally well.
32-year-old Lucy Letby is accused of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder ten others. She denies all charges
She rapidly stabilized and only required assistance with her breathing.
Letby, 32, was next to her incubator on June 10 at approximately 12 a.m. when the newborn suddenly stopped breathing. Baby A, her brother, had passed away on the unit some 28 hours prior.
An emergency crash call was received, and Letby’s coworker immediately began CPR. The infant was eventually revived after she and the alleged murderer were joined by more staff.
Dr. Bohin stated that after examining the case, she was “left with the opinion that this was an air embolus.”
She said to Ben Myers, KC, the prosecutor, that she came to this conclusion in part because she had ruled out alternative possibilities, such as infection or cardiac arrhythmia, and in part because of the’very florid descriptions’ medical professionals had provided of the infant’s skin color changes.
John and Susan Letby, the parents of Lucy Letby, arrived at the Manchester Crown Court on Friday, October 21, for the murder trial of their daughter.
“It is uncommon for infants of this gestational age to suddenly fall.” There was nothing to indicate that she would suddenly collapse. There were no more indicators that a collapse was impending.
When asked if Baby B’s condition could have deteriorated without intentional damage, she responded, “It is possible.”
Mr. Myers: “Isn’t air embolus typically fatal?”
The pediatrician responded, “Not necessarily.” She suggested that Baby B may have lived due to changes in the volume or velocity of the air she got compared to her sibling.
Mr. Myers referred to the instance of Baby A, implying that she could not rule out genetic factors for his collapse and death.
Letby, 32, of Hereford, is on trial for the alleged murder of seven infants at the Countess of Chester Hospital in Cheshire between 2015 and 2016, as well as the attempted murder of ten others. She denies all charges
She responded, “I am unaware of any genetic disorder that causes a newborn to collapse and die within twenty-four hours of birth.”
Dr. Bohin stated that genetic testing would only be performed if staff members suspected a baby had a genetic disorder. In this instance, no such suspicion existed.
Letby, of Hereford, denies murdering seven infants and attempting to murder ten others between June 2015 and June 2016 at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Her trial continues; it is likely to take six months.
Complete indictment of Lucy Letby
Lucy Letby is accused of the following:
Count 1 – Accused of killing Baby A on June 8, 2015
Count 2: Accused of attempting to kill Baby B between June 8, 2015 and June 11, 2015.
Count 3 – Accused of killing Baby C on June 14, 2015
Count 4 – Accused of killing Baby D on June 22, 2015
Count 5 – Accused of killing Baby E on August 4, 2015
Count 6 – Charged on August 5, 2015 with the attempted murder of Baby F
Count 7 – Charged on September 7, 2015 with attempted murder of Baby G
Count 8 – Charged on September 21, 2015 with attempted murder of Baby G
Count 9 – Charged on September 21, 2015 with attempted murder of Baby G
Count 10 – Charged on September 26, 2015 with attempted murder of Baby H
Count 11 – Charged on September 27, 2015 with attempted murder of Baby H
Count 12 – Accused of killing Baby I on October 23, 2015
Count 13 – Charged on November 27, 2015 with attempted murder of Baby J
Count 14 – Charged on February 17, 2015 with attempted murder of Baby K
Count 15 – Charged on April 9, 2016 with attempted murder of Baby L
Count 16 – Charged on April 9, 2016 with attempted murder of Baby M
Count 17 – Charged on June 3, 2016 with the attempted murder of Baby N
Count 18 – Charged on June 15, 2016 with the attempted murder of Baby N.
Count 19 – Charged on June 15, 2016 with the attempted murder of Baby N.
Count 20 – Accused of killing Baby O on June 23, 2016
Count 21 – Charged on June 24, 2016 with the murder of Baby P
Count 22 – Charged on June 25, 2016 with the attempted murder of Baby Q