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Lucy Letby accused of attempted murder of 100-day-old girl

Nurse’s alleged attack took place during a night shift at Countess of Chester Hospital; prosecution claims she made two further attempts to murder the baby girl
Lucy Letby

Nurse’s alleged attack took place during a night shift at Countess of Chester Hospital; prosecution claims she made two further attempts to murder the baby girl

Lucy Letby. Picture: Shutterstock

A baby girl allegedly attacked by nurse Lucy Letby as she turned 100 days old was ‘very poorly’ after a sudden deterioration, a court has heard.

Day shift staff on the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit were said to be ‘surprised’ the infant had to be moved to intensive care overnight.

The Crown says Ms Letby attempted to murder the youngster from 2am on 7 September 2015 while a colleague looking after the child was on a hour-long break.

Hours earlier, the defendant had helped make a party banner for the premature-born baby, known as Child G.

Nurse gives evidence to court

On Tuesday, jurors at Manchester Crown Court were read a statement from a nurse who took over Child G’s care at the end of Ms Letby’s night shift.

The nurse, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, stated: ‘I remember [Child G] being very poorly that day, which surprised me and the staff because prior to 7 September [Child G] was very stable.’

She said Child G had been ‘feeding and growing’ in the outside nursery rooms of the unit following her transfer from Wirral’s Arrowe Park Hospital.

Baby girl turned 100 days old in hospital

The nurse said she remembered 7 September because Child G was 100 days old and that was a regular milestone marked, in which a staff member would bake a cake for a child, with balloons placed around the bedside.

She went on: ‘Lucy told me [Child G] had vomited while under the care of [another nurse] and then became unwell.

‘She told me she had taken over as designated nurse because [the other nurse] did not have her intensive care course qualification.’

Court artist sketch of Lucy Letby. Picture: Alamy

Nurse outlines child’s deteriorating health

Referring to her medical notes, the nurse said Child G had ‘blood pressure issues’ throughout the day and required several infusions plus more antibiotics.

Her observations showed a raised heart rate and the nurse also noted Child G was pale and cold.

In the early hours of 8 September Child G was moved to Arrowe Park, where she had been born weighing just more than 1lb.

Medics suspected sepsis as she required ventilation support with 100% oxygen, but gradually she improved and was breathing for herself a week later.

Her markers for infection also fell as doctors ruled she was clinically stable and no longer needed specialist care. She was returned to the Countess of Chester Hospital on 16 September.

Prosecution alleges three attempts on Child G’s life

Ms Letby is accused of overfeeding Child G with milk through a nasogastric tube (NGT) and/or injecting air into the tube.

The prosecution says she made two more attempts to murder Child G on 21 September.

In his opening statement to the jury, Ben Myers KC, defending, said Ms Letby did not do anything to contribute to the health problems of Child G, who he said was ‘extremely premature’ and ‘high risk’.

Ms Letby, originally from Hereford, denies murdering seven babies and attempting to murder ten others between June 2015 and June 2016. The trial continues.


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