Lucy Letby, a neonatal nurse accused of killing babies on the neonatal unit where she worked in the UK, has been found guilty of committing murder and attempted murder. This marked her as the most prolific child serial killer in modern British history. As a result, Letby has been sentenced to spend the rest of her life in prison.
During her time at the Countess of Chester Hospital, Letby carried out her heinous acts, which included deliberately injecting babies with air, force feeding some with milk, and poisoning others with insulin. Her actions spanned from June 2015 to June 2016, and she was found guilty of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder six more.
Letby was sentenced to multiple whole-life terms, one for each crime committed, making her only the fourth woman in the UK to receive such a severe sentence. Whole-life orders are reserved for those who commit the most severe and vile offenses. The judge, Mr. Justice Goss, described the nature of Letby’s actions as “truly horrific,” characterized by “cruelty and calculation.”
“You acted in a way that was completely contrary to the normal human instincts of nurturing and caring for babies and in gross breach of the trust that all citizens place in those who work in the medical and caring professions,” he said.
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He added handover sheets relating to all but the first four babies were found when police searched Letby’s home, which he was satisfied she kept as “morbid records”.
Sentencing her to a whole-life order for each offense, he said: “There was a malevolence bordering on sadism in your actions.”
The judge expressed that Letby’s actions displayed malevolence and sadism, and that her lack of remorse and absence of mitigating factors justified the whole-life sentences.
“During the course of this trial you have coldly denied any responsibility for your wrongdoing. You have no remorse,” he said. “There are no mitigating factors.”
He emphasized that her actions went against the fundamental instincts of nurturing and caring for babies, betraying the trust that society places in medical professionals. Mr. Justice Goss also mentioned that Letby kept records of her actions, suggesting a morbid element.
