Lucy Letby: Serial baby killer sentenced to life and will never be released

The UK serial child killer has been sentenced to a ‘whole of life order’ for each of seven murders and seven attempted murders, meaning she will never be released.

British nurse Lucy Letby was found guilty of murdering seven babies.

British serial child killer Lucy Letby has been sentenced to a “whole of life order” for each of seven murders and seven attempted murders, meaning she will never be released.

Letby refused to come to the courtroom to hear powerful and emotional victim impact statements from the families of her young victims during Monday’s sentencing hearing.

Letby had been found guilty of murdering six babies and seven counts of attempted murder at the Countess of Chester hospital in 2015 and 2016.

In his sentencing remarks Justice James Goss said Letby showed no remorse.

“This was a cruel, calculated and cynical campaign of child murder involving the smallest and vulnerable of children,” he said.

Justice Goss added that Letby’s actions were of “a deep malevolence bordering on sadism”.

He said the great majority of Letby’s victims suffered acute pain and that they all fought for survival before adding “there was premeditation, calculations and cunning in your actions”.

He also noted that Letby was no doubt an intelligent and outwardly conscientious hardworking, knowledgeable and competent nurse which enabled her to hurt babies without arousing suspicion for some time.

The judge said that the impact of Letby’s crimes has been immense with the lives of lives of newborn babies ending as soon as they began and lifelong harm caused in horrific circumstances.

Letby avoided the harrowing and heavily charged atmosphere of the Manchester crown court room where the parents of the babies outlined their utter devastation and ongoing trauma.

Relatives of the victims, as well as the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, attacked her “sickening” cowardice.

The British government is looking to change the law so that in future criminals cannot avoid the courtroom sentencing.

The former justice secretary Robert Buckland said the court proceedings should have been broadcast directly into Letby’s cell.

Police are continuing to investigate as many as 30 other unexpected baby deaths, which occurred while Letby was on duty.

Ahead of the sentencing by Justice Goss, the families of babies who had been attacked and murdered by Letby told the court of the impact of her actions.

The mother of Child C, a boy who was murdered, told the absent Letby that her son’s life was “collateral damage in your persistent desire for drama and attention”.

She added: “There is no sentence that will ever compare to the excruciating agony that we have experienced since the death of our son. You killed them on purpose. You are evil. You did this.”

The mother of Child E and Child F said Letby used “a sadistic abuse of power”. She said “we have essentially grieved for both of our boys and the future we had planned for them.

“It was a living nightmare. Little did I know that the nightmare of pain and hurt would continue, emotionally battering me throughout my children’s lives,’’ she told the court.

Child E was murdered and Child F has severe learning disabilities and is non-verbal.

“My boys were just a pawn in her sick, twisted game” the mother said.

She said that Letby had washed Child E after he had died and had even picked out an outfit for him.

She said: “He was buried in that gown, a gift from the unit chosen by Lucy. I feel sickened by the choice we made. Not a single day passes without distress over this decision.”

She was scathing that Letby, 33, could be allowed to stay in her cell and not face the families.

“Even in these final days of the trial she has tried to control things, the disrespect she has shown the families and the court show what type of person she is. We have attended court day in and day out, yet she decides she has had enough, and stays in her cell, just one final act of wickedness from a coward.”

The father of Child G, who was attacked by Letby on her 100th day in the neonatal unit has told of his daughter’s daily struggle with life.

He explained she is severely disabled, fed through a tube, is blind, is quadriplegic and has cerebral palsy. Her mother gets about two hours sleep a night caring for her. The father told the court: “Our worry is: what if she outlives us and has no one to care for her”.

The mother of Child D, a two day old girl, killed by an injection of air, said she had a nervous breakdown. “I couldn’t continue and I didn’t want to. I was hoping that if I went to the other side I would see and be with my daughter.” She added that the clearly overwhelming trial was difficult. “We wanted justice for [Child D] and that day has come.”

The parents of Child I said their daughter had been tortured until she had no fight left in her. “Everything she went through over her short life was deliberately done by someone who was supposed to protect her and help her come home where she belonged”.

Child N survived the attempt on his life, when Letby injected him with air and forced a tube down his throat. But his mother said “we often hear about people dying of a broken heart. This is how we feel after this day … not a day goes by without us thinking of that day.”