Lucy Letby Denies Attempted Murder Charge at Manchester Crown Court

Lucy Letby, a former neonatal nurse from Chester, faces charges of attempting to murder Child K, a severely premature baby, at the Countess of Chester hospital. On June 25, Letby continued her testimony at the Manchester Crown Court. The incident allegedly occurred on February 17, 2016, when the infant's breathing tube was said to have been dislodged three times.

The prosecution alleges that Letby was seen by Dr. Ravi Jayaram, a consultant pediatrician, doing nothing to prevent the child's blood oxygen levels from dropping. Letby maintains her innocence, stating she has no memory of the events and denies interfering with the tube.

Court proceedings emphasized Letby’s claim of forgetfulness when questioned about the details. During cross-examination, Letby asserted that she does not recall the specific moments in question, despite being implicated in similar previous cases.

The trial examines procedural protocols, with Letby arguing that observing whether a baby can self-correct was standard practice. However, the prosecution contested this, suggesting that her actions were intentional.

Child K was eventually sedated with morphine at 4 am, and an X-ray taken at 6.10 am suggested the tube was correctly positioned. Despite desaturation occurring approximately 15 minutes later, Letby refuted claims that her presence correlated with the incidents.

Letby, who is from Hereford, has denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to the charges. The trial is set to resume next Monday.