A neo-natal nurse went on trial in Britain on Monday, charged with the murder of seven babies in her care and the attempted killing of 10 others.
Lucy Letby, 32, has denied the charges allegedly committed between June 2015 and June 2016, AFP reported.
What the prosecutor said:
Letby is alleged to have carried out the killings at the Countess of Chester Hospital, in Chester, northwest England, where she was working.
Prosecutor Nick Johnson told a jury at Manchester Crown Court that consultants were concerned because babies who were dying deteriorated unexpectedly. Some who collapsed did not respond to appropriate treatment.
Others collapsed then dramatically recovered, defying “the normal experience” of doctors.
The prosecutor added that consultants could not establish the cause, but, they noticed that the neo-natal nurse, Lucy Letby was present when all deaths were recorded.
He added that deaths and collapses happened on night shifts when Letby was on shift, then when she moved to work during the day.
He described the collapses and deaths of all 17 children concerned as not “naturally occurring tragedies”.
The lawyer said some were injected with air in their bloodstream, others were fed with insulin or too much milk.
In all, Letby is facing 22 charges, seven of murder and 15 of attempted murder, as she allegedly tried to kill some children more than once.
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