Lucy Letby, the British nurse responsible for the murders of seven babies and attempted murders of six others at the UK hospital where she worked, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In a landmark ruling, the Manchester Crown Court handed down a whole life order to Letby, marking her as the country’s most prolific child serial killer of recent times.
Despite her conviction on Friday by a jury, Letby refused to appear in court for her sentencing, sparking discussions about changing laws to mandate defendants’ presence during such hearings.
Justice James Goss justified the unprecedented life sentence by denouncing Letby’s “cruel, calculated, and cynical campaign of child murder.”
Directing his remarks to Letby, Goss described the malevolence and sadism exhibited in her actions. The judge noted her lack of remorse and the absence of mitigating factors. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak criticized Letby’s absence, calling for legal reforms to ensure perpetrators face their victims directly and comprehend the devastating impacts of their crimes.
Letby’s modus operandi involved administering air into infants’ blood and stomachs, overfeeding them with milk, physical assaults, and insulin poisoning. The court revealed her secretive assault of 13 babies in the neonatal ward at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016.
Prosecutors argued that Letby intended to kill the babies while masking her actions as natural causes of death. Letby left incriminating notes confessing her actions, with statements like “I am evil, I did this.”
Parents of the murdered babies shared the enduring impact of Letby’s acts on their lives, underscoring how their children require constant care due to surviving her assaults. The court heard harrowing testimonies from parents during the trial, revealing Letby’s shocking attempts to kill infants, including one case where she targeted a surviving twin after murdering his sibling.
Throughout the trial, Letby’s chilling handwritten notes were presented as evidence.
In her memos, she expressed guilt and self-loathing, depicting herself as an “evil” person responsible for the deaths.
Letby was arrested multiple times, and police discovered the incriminating notes she had penned and hospital documents she had kept.
The case prompted a government inquiry into the hospital’s response to concerns raised by consultants about the unusually high mortality rate in Letby’s care. The inquiry’s scope, however, was criticized for lacking the power to summon witnesses.
The revelations have rattled the medical community, sparking discussions about ensuring accountability and oversight within healthcare systems.
