London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Nov 05, 2025

Lucy Letby trial: Nurse moved to risk office after baby deaths, jury told

Lucy Letby trial: Nurse moved to risk office after baby deaths, jury told

Nurse Lucy Letby was given a role in a hospital's risk and patient safety office after doctors raised concerns over her alleged involvement in baby deaths, a court has heard.

Senior doctors at the Countess of Chester Hospital requested Ms Letby be taken off front-line duties after the deaths of two triplets in June 2016.

Ms Letby has been accused of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder 10 others between 2015 and 2016.

The 33-year-old denies all charges.

Manchester Crown Court has previously heard that following the death of one of the babies, named as Child P for legal reasons, on 24 June 2016, senior paediatrician Dr Stephen Brearey told a hospital executive he was "not happy" with Ms Letby continuing to work on the neonatal unit.

Dr Brearey told the court that Karen Rees, the duty executive senior nurse, had informed him there was "no evidence" for his claims and Ms Letby, originally from Hereford, would be remaining in her role.

The day after Dr Brearey had his request refused, another baby, Child Q, collapsed and required resuscitation.

Prosecutors have alleged that on the morning of 25 June, Ms Letby injected air and fluid into the boy's stomach via a nasogastric tube in an attempt to kill him.

The court was told that in the weeks that followed Child Q's collapse, Ms Letby was taken off front-line duties and placed on a three-month "secondment" to the hospital's risk and patient safety office.

The jury heard she was also told that as part of a unit-wide review, she would be placed under "clinical supervision".

Eirian Powell, who was the neonatal manager, said in an email to all neonatal unit staff that the review and supervision was "not meant to be a blame or competency issue" but "a way forward to ensure our practice is safe".

In a message to a colleague, Ms Letby said she was "fuming" about being placed on secondment and commented that the email announcing the move "makes it sound like it's my choice".

In messages to another nursing colleague, Ms Letby said she had made a "timeline" of events on the unit, adding: "Hoping to get as much info together as possible - if they have nothing or minimal on me, they'll look silly, not me."

The court was also shown messages Ms Letby sent to a doctor after being told her shifts would be changing.

In the messages, she said she was having a "meltdown" and was "completely overwhelmed" with worry about why she was being moved.

The doctor attempted to reassure her and told her that in relation to the care of the triplets, she had done a "perfect job".

The court heard on 1 September, Ms Letby attended a meeting with a review panel and six days later, she registered a grievance procedure.

The nurse is accused of carrying out the attacks at Countess of Chester Hospital


The court earlier heard how Ms Letby told police it was a "coincidence" that Child Q, her final alleged victim, collapsed while he was in her care.

Manchester Crown Court has heard how Child Q was "stable" on the evening before his collapse.

Jurors heard that the infant deteriorated and needed breathing support shortly after 09:00 on 25 June.

Prosecutor Nick Johnson KC, reading a summary of Ms Letby's police interview, said the nurse denied causing the boy any harm.

He said Ms Letby accepted that Child Q collapsed "within minutes of her leaving nursery two [but] she said he was stable when she left and [that she] wouldn't have left him if that was not the case".

Mr Johnson said she "denied deliberately leaving the room to blame other staff" for Child Q's collapse.

He said Ms Letby also denied injecting air or fluid into Child Q's NG tube and said it was a "coincidence he became unwell when she came on duty".

"She noted premature babies could deteriorate at any time," he added.

The trial continues.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Massive Spoilers Emerge from MAFS UK 2025: Couple Swaps, Dating App Leaks and Reunion Bombshells
Kurdish-led Crime Network Operates UK Mini-Marts to Exploit Migrants and Sell Illicit Goods
UK Income Tax Hike Could Trigger £1 Billion Cut to Scotland’s Budget, Warns Finance Secretary
Tommy Robinson Acquitted of Terror-related Charge After Phone PIN Dispute
Boris Johnson Condemns Western Support for Hamas at Jewish Community Conference
HII Welcomes UK’s Westley Group to Strengthen AUKUS Submarine Supply Chain
Tragedy in Serbia: Coach Mladen Žižović Collapses During Match and Dies at 44
Diplo Says He Dated Katy Perry — and Justin Trudeau
Dick Cheney, Former U.S. Vice President, Dies at 84
Trump Calls Title Removal of Andrew ‘Tragic Situation’ Amid Royal Fallout
UK Bonds Rally as Chancellor Reeves Briefs Markets Ahead of November Budget
UK Report Backs Generational Smoking Ban Ahead of Tobacco & Vapes Bill Review
UK’s Domino’s Pizza Group Reports Modest Like-for-Like Sales Growth in Q3
UK Supplies Additional Storm Shadow Missiles to Ukraine as Trump Alleges Russian Underground Nuclear Tests
High-Profile Broodmare Puca Sells for Five Million Dollars at Fasig-Tipton ‘Night of the Stars’
Wilt Chamberlain’s One-of-a-Kind ‘Searcher 1’ Supercar Heads to Auction
Erling Haaland’s Remarkable Run: 13 Premier League Goals in 10 Matches and Eyes on History
UK Labour Peer Warns of Emerging ‘Constituency for Hating Jews’ in Britain
UK Home Secretary Admits Loss of Border Control, Warns Public Trust at Risk
President Trump Expresses Sympathy for UK Royal Family After Title Stripping of Prince Andrew
Former Prince Andrew to Lose His Last Military Title as King Charles Moves to End His Public Role
King Charles Relocates Andrew to Sandringham Estate and Strips Titles Amid Epstein Fallout
Two Arrested After Mass Stabbing on UK Train Leaves Ten Hospitalised
Glamour UK Says ‘Stay Mad Jo x’ After Really Big Rowling Backlash
Former Prince Prince Andrew Faces Possible U.S. Congressional Appearance Over Jeffrey Epstein Inquiry
UK Faces £20 Billion Productivity Shortfall as Brexit’s Impact Deepens
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Eyes New Council-Tax Bands for High-Value Homes
UK Braces for Major Storm with Snow, Heavy Rain and Winds as High as 769 Miles Wide
U.S. Secures Key Southeast Asia Agreements to Reshape Rare Earth Supply Chains
US and China Agree One-Year Trade Truce After Trump-Xi Talks
BYD Profit Falls 33 % as Chinese EV Maker Doubles Down on Overseas Markets
US Philanthropists Shift Hundreds of Millions to UK to Evade Regulatory Uncertainty in Trump Era
Israeli Energy Minister Delays $35 Billion Gas Export Agreement with Egypt
King Charles Strips Prince Andrew of Titles and Royal Residence
Trump–Putin Budapest Summit Cancelled After Moscow Memo Raises Conditions for Ukraine Talks
Amazon Shares Soar 11% as Cloud Business Hits Fastest Growth Since 2022
Credit Markets Flooded with More Than $200 Billion of AI-Linked Debt Issuance
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Says China Made 'a Real Mistake' by Threatening Rare-Earth Exports
Report Claims Nearly Two Billion Dollars in Foreign Charity Funds Flowed into U.S. Advocacy Groups
White House Refutes Reports That US Targeting Military Sites in Venezuela
Meta Seeks Dismissal of Strike 3’s $350 Million Copyright Lawsuit
Apple Exceeds Forecasts With $102.5 Billion Q3 Revenue Despite iPhone Miss
Israel's IDF Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi Admits to Act Amounting to Aiding Hamas During Wartime (Treason)
Shawbrook IPO Marks London’s Biggest UK Listing in Two Years
UK Government Split Over Backing Brazil’s $125 Billion Tropical Forest Fund Ahead of COP30
J.K. Rowling Condemns Glamour UK Feature of Nine Trans Women as 'Men Better at Being Women'
King Charles III Removes Prince Andrew’s Titles and Orders His Departure from Royal Lodge
UK Finance Minister Reeves Releases Email Correspondence to Clarify Rental-Licence Breach
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
×