A nurse accused of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder 10 more cried today as a paediatric consultant testified.
Lucy Letby, age 33, was extremely distraught and appeared to be attempting to flee the courtroom as she stood in the dock and walked quickly to the cell door.
She was approached by a female security officer for a whispered talk.
Letby took a few moments to collect herself before returning to the seat she had held for the duration of her 16-week trial at Manchester Crown Court.
The paediatrician, who cannot be named for legal reasons, began giving testimony from behind a privacy screen, obscuring his view of the courtroom.
It caused the trial judge, Mr. Justice Goss, to request that a defense attorney “just figure out what the issue is.”
A lawyer stepped the few steps to the dock and chatted briefly with Letby via the glass screen, followed by the defendant’s counsel, Ben Myers KC, who spoke with her seconds afterwards.
As the proceedings resumed, Letby continued to wipe her eyes, this time with tissues from a box beside her.
The consultant was requested to validate his identity and profession a second time. His testimony lasted barely a few minutes as he walked the prosecutor, Philip Astbury, through some medical records pertaining to Baby L, one of a pair of twins whom Letby is accused of injecting with insulin.
The consultant testified in court that the child’s blood sugar levels dropped during the night shift and were “lower than I would have liked.”
When questioned why it was vital to prevent the levels from lowering, he responded, “Because low blood glucose levels can cause seizures in infants.”
‘It’s detrimental to a baby. If it falls to a significantly lower level, it might cause liver and brain damage.
The court heard that Baby L made a full recovery and was released from the hospital the following month.
Mr. Myers stood to state that he had no cross-examination questions.
Later, Dr. John Gibbs, the paediatrician in charge of the ward at the time, said in court that blood tests conducted on Baby L indicated he had gotten insulin that he should not have.
He continued, “I did not consider the possibility that someone administered insulin at the time.” Unfortunately, the junior doctors who reviewed the results did not comprehend their significance.
Letby, a native of Hereford, disputes all claims brought against her.
»Neonatal nurse Lucy Letby, 33, breaks down as paediatric doctor testifies at murder trial«