London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 24, 2025

Lucy Letby trial: Nurse thought 'not again' over baby collapse

Lucy Letby trial: Nurse thought 'not again' over baby collapse

A nurse said she thought "not again" when a baby suddenly collapsed the day after her twin brother had died at a neonatal unit, jurors have heard.

Lucy Letby, 32, is on trial accused of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder 10 others at Countess of Chester Hospital in 2015 and 2016.

Her nursing colleague and "mentor" told Manchester Crown Court how Child B had become "ill very quickly" and her sudden deterioration was "unusual".

Ms Letby denies all 22 charges.

It is alleged nurse Ms Letby injected air into the bloodstream of Child A, shortly after she came on shift on 8 June 2015, just over 24 hours after his premature birth.

The Crown alleges she used the same method to attack his sister, Child B, on the following night shift.

Paediatric consultant Dr Ravi Jayaram told the trial he "couldn't explain" the sequence of events that led to Child A's death.

He said it was very sudden and did not "fit with any disease process that I have seen, learned or read about", adding: "It didn't make sense to me."

He and senior colleagues "began to raise concerns" to hospital managers about Ms Letby regularly being present when the children in this case fell ill, the court heard.

He told the jury: "At that time we were being told that we shouldn't be saying such things and not to make a fuss.

"I didn't really have any hard evidence, but I wish I'd been more courageous at the time."

The nurse worked on the neonatal ward at Countess of Chester Hospital


Ms Letby's nursing colleague, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, recalled she was preparing medicines when the monitor alarm sounded at Child B's incubator.

The nurse said Ms Letby was the first to go to the cot and she called her for help.

Asked about Child B's appearance, she said: "She looked very ill. She looked very like her brother did the night before.

"Pale, white, with this purple blotchy discolouration. It was all over her body.

"I just remember thinking 'not again' - to see his sister with the same appearance."

A breathing tube was inserted and Child B "started to stabilise quite quickly", said the witness, who was giving evidence screened from the public gallery and the defendant.

She said: "Child A's deterioration was very sudden and to an unusual degree.

"Babies can be very poorly quickly but there is usually some indication that is happening. We had no undue concerns.

"To go from that is very unusual and then Child B had been good throughout the evening for me... then she became ill very quickly.

"She deteriorated very quickly and then this discolouration.

"You never want any baby to die. You want to help them go home to their families. That's always been my goal."

Child B recovered and was eventually discharged a month later, the court has heard.

Lucy Letby has been described as a "poisoner at work" on the ward


The witness could not explain why, when interviewed by police in 2018, she had not mentioned an unusual discolouration in Child A's appearance, but when later questioned about Child B she said her discoloured skin was similar to her brother.

She told Ben Myers KC, defending, that people on the unit were talking at the time about rashes but she was not influenced by anything anybody else said.

The nurse told the jury she could not remember who administered intravenous fluids to Child A shortly before his collapse but accepted she told police that another nursing colleague had "pressed start" in the process and Ms Letby had assisted with checks.

She said she acted as "mentor" to Ms Letby, who first came to the unit as a trainee around 2010/11 while studying at the University of Chester.

They became "good friends", she said, as Ms Letby went on to join the unit after she qualified.

Mr Myers said: "We know the allegations but your experience when working with her was she was highly professional?"

"Yes," the witness replied.

Mr Myers said: "And dedicated to the work she was doing?"

"Yes," agreed the witness.

The trial continues.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
×