I saw Lucy Letby standing by my baby’s cot – then all hell let loose… I can still remember the look on her face
A mother has said she fears her baby may have been one of Lucy Letby’s first victims.
Letby, 33, was found guilty on Friday of murdering seven babies – making her Britain’s top child killer.
3
3
Her heinous crimes were uncovered during a nearly 10-month trial that revealed she also attempted to kill six other newborns.
Victoria Whitfield believes the nurse also attempted to harm her premature baby in November 2013.
Their baby son, Felicity, was lying in the neonatal ward at the Countess of Chester Hospital after being delivered via an emergency caesarean.
Victoria and her husband Mike had been told that she was “doing great” – but that next On the same day they learned that their daughter was seriously ill.
Victoria told the Times: “It was about three in the morning, I was upstairs in my room. I don’t know what it was, call it maternal instinct. I felt like I had to go to the neonatal unit. I went in – everything seemed very quiet.
“Lucy Letby was there [the cot] and then she went out into the other room. I watched Felicity and within minutes all hell broke loose. It was like I wasn’t in the room – but there were nurses everywhere.”
The terrified parents were told by medical staff that they did not believe Felicity would survive.
Mike said, “They told us that if we wanted to get them baptized, now was the time. Because she probably wouldn’t make it.”
Felicity was transferred to Arrowe Park Hospital, less than 20 miles away, for alternative treatment – and her condition improved immediately.
When the parents saw that Letby had been arrested, they began investigating what had happened during Felicity’s care.
The charges on which Letby was fully convicted
Child A, murder charge. The Crown said Letby injected air intravenously into the little boy’s bloodstream. COUNT 1 GUILTY.
Child B, charged with attempted murder. The Crown said Letby attempted to murder the little girl, Child A’s twin sister, by injecting air into her bloodstream. NUMBER 2 GUILTY.
Child C, murder charge. Prosecutors said Letby pushed air through a feeding tube into the boy’s stomach. COUNTER 3 GUILTY.
Child D, charge of murder. The Crown said the little girl had been injected with air intravenously. NUMBER 4 GUILTY.
Child E, murder charge. The Crown said Letby murdered the twin babies by injecting air into the bloodstream and also deliberately caused the infant to bleed. COUNT 5 GUILTY.
Child F, charged with attempted murder. Prosecutors said Letby poisoned Child E’s twin brother with insulin. COUNTER 6 GUILTY.
Child G, three counts of attempted murder. The crown said Letby went after the little girl by overfeeding her milk and forcing air through the feeding tube. COUNTER 7 GUILTY, COUNTER 8 GUILTY, COUNTER 9 NOT GUILTY.
Child H, two counts of attempted murder. Prosecutors said Letby somehow sabotage the care of the little girl, resulting in two significant oxygen desaturations. Count 10 Not Guilty, Count 11 The jury could not reach a verdict.
Child I, charge of murder. Prosecutors said Letby killed the little girl on the fourth try and gave her air and overfed her with milk. NUMBER 12 GUILTY.
Child J, charged with attempted murder. Prosecutors did not establish a specific form of damage, but said Letby did something to bring about the little girl’s breakdown. NUMBER 13: The jury could not reach a verdict.
Child K, charged with attempted murder. Prosecutors said Letby compromised the little girl when she intentionally removed a breathing tube. NUMBER 14: The jury could not reach a verdict.
Child L, charged with attempted murder. The crown said the nurse poisoned the twin baby with insulin. COUNTER 15 GUILTY.
Child M, charged with attempted murder. Prosecutors said Letby injected air into Child L’s twin brother’s bloodstream. NUMBER 16 GUILTY.
Child N, three counts of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby traumatized the little boy’s throat and also injected air into his bloodstream. Count 17 guilty, count 18 jury unable to reach a verdict, count 19 jury unable to reach a verdict.
Child O, murder charge. Prosecutors say Letby assaulted the triplets by injecting him with air, overfeeding him milk and inflicting trauma to his liver with “severe force”. COUNT 20 GUILTY.
Child P, charge of murder. Prosecutors said the nurse targeted Child O’s triple by overfeeding him milk, injecting air and disconnecting his breathing tube. NUMBER 21 GUILTY.
Child Q, charged with attempted murder. The Crown said Letby injected the little boy with fluid and possibly air through his feeding tube. NUMBER 22: The jury could not reach a verdict.
Victoria said: “The only image I constantly have in my mind was the night I walked into the room.
“She [Letby] was . . . She was on the opposite side of the ventilator, kind of looking up – not really an expression on her face. And then walked around and left the room. Nothing at all.
“So when it came out in the press, I called Mike and said, ‘It was her.'”
So far, officers have only investigated her killings between June 2015 and June 2016.
With Letby facing life behind bars, they continue their investigation – dating It goes back to 2012 when she started at the Countess.
But they are also investigating at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, where she did internships in 2012 and 2015.
During that time, about 4,000 babies passed through the hospital maternity wards.
Police believe the 33-year-old did not kill any other children but believe she may have harmed or attempted to harm a child.
Officials are reviewing thousands of medical records and some parents have already raised suspicions or have been contacted by police.
Cheshire Police said “nothing unusual had been found” in the Whitfields’ case.
3