Lucy Letby Denies Attacking Babies at Countess of Chester Hospital During Retrial

Lucy Letby, 34, firmly denied allegations of attacking any babies in her care at the Countess of Chester Hospital as she took the stand during her retrial today.

Letby is accused of attempting to murder a baby, referred to as ‘Child K’ in court, by dislodging the infant’s breathing tube in February 2016, just two hours after her birth. The prosecution claims she was ‘caught red-handed’ by consultant pediatrician Dr. Ravi Jayaram.

Jurors at Manchester Crown Court had previously been informed that Letby was convicted last year of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others following a lengthy trial. The court heard that by the time of the alleged attack on Child K, Letby had already murdered five babies and attempted to murder three others between June 2015 and October 2015. She was also convicted of attempting to murder twin boys in April 2016, another boy in June 2016, and murdering two triplet boys later that month, reported BBC.

Today, Letby, dressed in a black jacket and turquoise top, took the witness stand to provide her testimony. Her counsel, Ben Myers KC, asked her directly: “Did you intend to kill Child K?”

“No,” Letby replied.

“Did you intend to do her any harm at all?” Myers continued.

“No,” answered Letby.

Myers referenced Letby’s previous convictions, which the jurors were already aware of, and asked, “Do you accept you ever intended to hurt any baby in your care?”

“No,” Letby reiterated.

Myers then asked, “Do you accept you have tried to harm any baby in your care?”

Letby responded, “No.”

Letby testified that she did not recall the specific events in nursery one, where the alleged attack on Child K occurred on the morning of February 17, 2016. However, she did recall seeing Child K.

Asked if she remembered the exact timing of seeing the infant, Letby stated, “No, I can’t be specific about timings, no.”

Myers questioned Letby about Dr. Ravi Jayaram’s testimony, in which he claimed to have seen Child K’s blood oxygen levels falling while Letby stood by ‘doing nothing’.

“Do you recall any incident where Dr. Jayaram came in when he saw something like that happening?” Myers asked.

“No,” Letby replied.

“Was there any incident that morning when you were trying to hurt Child K?” the KC inquired.

“No,” Letby answered.

Letby also addressed why she searched Child K’s surname on Facebook two years later, stating, “I’m not sure why. I don’t have any recollection of doing that at the time or know why I did it.”

When asked if it was linked to any attempt to harm the infant, Letby firmly denied, “No.”

Letby, from Hereford, denies one count of attempted murder. A court order prohibits the reporting of the identities of the surviving and deceased children involved in the case.