A trial court has reached a verdict in the case of nurse Lucy Letby, finding her guilty of the murder of seven babies. The landmark decision was handed down on Friday (18), following a lengthy legal process. Letby's sentencing is scheduled for Monday (21).
The trial jury also declared Letby guilty of attempting to murder another six infants. However, their decision on the attempted murder charges for an additional four babies remained undecided.
The 33-year-old nurse, who had once been trusted with the care of premature infants, was branded by the jury as "persistent, calculated, and cold-blooded" in her actions. Her crimes spanned from June 2015 to June 2016, during her tenure at the Countess of Chester hospital in north-west England.
Letby was responsible for the deaths of two identical triplet brothers, both tragically killed within a span of 24 hours. Other victims included a newborn weighing less than 1kg (2lb), who met a fatal fate through the injection of air, and a girl born 10 weeks premature, whose life was cut short after four attempts.
Throughout the trial, harrowing details emerged about Letby's methods of murder. Injecting air into the tiny bodies of newborns, in some cases causing the rupture of their diaphragms, or using a tube to suffocate an infant through their throat.
Letby laced the feeding bags of two babies with insulin while working on the Countess of Chester's neonatal unit during the same period. It was only in 2017 that her actions were reported to the police, eventually leading to her arrest in 2018.
With this conviction, Letby has secured her place as the most prolific baby killer in modern British history and one of the country's worst medical serial killers.
It is anticipated that she will become only the third living woman in the country to receive a whole-life term, ensuring that she will spend the rest of her life behind bars, The Guardian reported.
Despite the overwhelming evidence against her, Letby has consistently maintained her innocence in the face of the accusations. Notably, she refused to be present in court during the announcement of the later verdicts.
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)