THE neonatal unit where a UK nurse accused of killing seven babies worked had been struggling to cope with the numbers of children it was treating, her lawyer said in court.
Lucy Letby, 33, is also accused of attempting to kill another 10 babies in the neo-natal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital in Chester, northwest England. She has denied harming children.
"Between June 2015 and June 2016, the neonatal unit took more babies than it would usually care for and with greater care needs," defence lawyer Ben Myers told the jury at Manchester Crown Court on Friday (30).
"You have heard that repeatedly. In that same year there was an increase in the number of deaths and type of collapses you are looking at in this trial," he said.
"What did not change was Miss Letby. She was dedicated. She cared for hundreds of babies. She did not suddenly change.
"What changed was the babies cared for on the unit in terms of their numbers and needs and, we say, the inability of this unit to cope."
Myers, in his summing up, argued that there was no "direct evidence" against her for any of the charges she faced.
Jurors have been hearing the case since October and are set to begin deliberations shortly over the 22 charges she faces.
Letby is accused of having targeted newborns by various means between June 2015 and June 2016, including giving them injections of insulin, air or milk.
She was removed from the neo-natal unit in July 2016 but continued working at the hospital on clerical duties before her arrest two years later.
(AFP)
Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in northwest of London, in July 2024. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Crossbow murderer found guilty of raping ex-girlfriend
A 26-YEAR-OLD man who murdered three women in a crossbow and stabbing attack has been found guilty of raping one of them, his ex-girlfriend, a British court ruled on Thursday.
Kyle Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in Bushey, northwest of London, in July 2024.
The attack led to a manhunt before Clifford was found injured hours later in a north London cemetery.
A jury at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday convicted Clifford of raping 25-year-old Louise Hunt before killing her.
His sentencing for all the crimes is scheduled for Tuesday.
Clifford had admitted to murdering Carol Hunt, 61, and her daughters Louise and Hannah, 28. He had also pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment and possessing offensive weapons but denied raping Louise.
During the trial, the court heard that after killing Carol Hunt, Clifford waited for an hour before attacking Louise, tying her up, raping her, and then killing her with a crossbow. He later killed Hannah when she returned home from work.
The prosecution described Clifford, a former soldier, as committing a "violent, sexual act of spite" and said he was "enraged" after Louise ended their 18-month relationship. They told the court that he had "carefully planned" the attack.
Less than 24 hours before the killings, Clifford had searched for a podcast by social media influencer Andrew Tate, according to the prosecution. They argued that the murders were driven by the "violent misogyny promoted" by Tate.
Justice Joel Bennathan called Clifford’s crimes "dreadful" and "almost unspeakable".
(With inputs from AFP)