Lucy Letby, Britain’s most prolific child serial killer, was convicted on Tuesday, July 2, 2024 of attempting to murder another infant at the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2016. The conviction comes nearly a year after she was found guilty of murdering seven newborn babies and attempting to kill six others.
Letby, 34, faced retrial at Manchester Crown Court for attempting to murder a baby girl, referred to as Child K, after the jury in her initial trial could not reach a verdict on this charge. The jury took just over three hours to unanimously find her guilty.
During the retrial, the prosecution detailed how a senior consultant caught Letby “virtually red-handed” tampering with Child K’s breathing tube, which led to a dangerous drop in the infant’s blood oxygen levels.
Despite her denial in court last month, Letby, who is already serving a life sentence and was denied an appeal earlier this year, will be sentenced for this latest offence on Friday.
Child K, born extremely prematurely, was transferred to a specialist hospital on the same day of Letby’s actions and died three days later. Prosecutors did not allege Letby caused her death, but her parents expressed their grief and relief at the verdict, stating, “Justice has been served, but it does not take away the extreme hurt, anger, and distress we have endured.”
A public inquiry into the events at the hospital unit is scheduled to begin in September. Cheshire Police confirmed that a “complex and sensitive” corporate manslaughter investigation into the hospital is ongoing, alongside the original probe into Letby’s actions.
The investigation into Letby continues, including a review of 4,000 baby admissions during her tenure at Chester and Liverpool Women’s Hospitals. “Only cases highlighting any medical concern will be further reviewed,” stated Detective Superintendent Paul Hughes.
Detective Superintendent Simon Blackwell added that the corporate manslaughter probe is examining senior leadership and decision-making processes to determine potential criminality. However, no individuals are currently under investigation for gross negligence manslaughter.
