Lucy Letby's emotional reaction in court

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【Summary】Lucy Letby, who was found guilty of killing seven babies, showed emotion for the first time during her trial when a doctor she had a crush on gave evidence. Letby, a former neonatal nurse, had remained impassive throughout the trial until she heard the doctor's voice. The court heard that Letby and the doctor had exchanged messages and had a friendship outside of work. Letby used various methods to attack the babies, including injecting them with air and overfeeding them.

FutureCar Staff Aug 18, 2023 5:39 PM PT

Lucy Letby's emotional reaction in court

Lucy Letby remained largely expressionless throughout her lengthy trial at Manchester Crown Court, where she was found guilty of killing seven babies. However, during the trial, she showed emotion for the first time when she heard the voice of a doctor she was said to have a 'crush' on. The doctor, who testified behind a screen, was not visible to Letby or the public gallery. Upon hearing his voice, Letby broke down in tears and left her seat, walking towards the exit of the dock.

During the trial, it was revealed that Letby and the doctor had exchanged messages. In one message, Letby asked about the arrival of triplets and expressed her desire to be busy at work. The doctor responded by saying he liked it when she was in the intensive care unit. They also joked about Letby forgetting her lunch and discussed meeting outside of work. The prosecution argued that Letby attacked the babies to get the doctor's attention.

Dr. John Gibbs, a consultant paediatrician on the unit, had raised concerns about Letby to senior management on multiple occasions. After concerns were raised about the care of one baby, Letby asked the doctor if she needed to be worried about what Dr. Gibbs had asked. The doctor reassured her that there was nothing to worry about and praised her work.

Letby mentioned the doctor in Post-it notes found by the police. One note described him as her best friend, while others mentioned love. Letby explained that the references to love were lyrics from a Craig David song that were on her mind at the time. She stated that their friendship had fizzled out before her arrest in 2018.

The trial, which began in October 2022, lasted almost 10 months due to the complex medical evidence involved. The jury deliberated for over 100 hours across 22 days before convicting Letby of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six others. Letby used various methods of attack, including injecting air to cause a fatal embolism, overfeeding milk, interfering with breathing tubes, and physical assault. She is now considered the UK's most prolific child killer of modern times.

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