Lucy Letby trial: Nurse accused of killing over 7 babies weeps as horrifying notes, bedroom pics revealed
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WESTBOURNE, CHESTER: A Neo-natal nurse accused of murdering over 7 babies and attempting to murder 10 others broke down in tears in the dock as photographs of her bedroom and notes that read, "Help Me," and "I killed them on purpose," were revealed during a trial at Manchester Crown Court. Lucy Letby, 33, was first arrested in July 2018 on suspicion of attacking infants after consultants raised concerns about her "common link" to numerous collapses of patients under her care. However, the case took a dark turn after authorities found scribbled notes peened with the names of the babies she is alleged to have harmed. Although, the nurse denies all the allegations.
Jurors were displayed with images from Letby's room in Westbourne Road, Chester, where she was first arrested on July 3, 2018. The 33-year-old wept after photographs of her bedroom walls contained slogans "Shine Like A Diamond" and "Leave Sparkles Wherever You Go," while items on the floor contained a red suitcase and handbags. Prosecutor Philip Astbury said three handwritten notes were recovered from the bags, some of which read as declarations of love for a doctor colleague who cannot be named. and others were a cry for help with words like, "I Can't Do This Any More" and "How Can Life Be This Way."
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The notes which were handwritten next to the doctor's name read, "I loved you" and "my best friend," as per Daily Mail. A 2016 diary was recovered that referenced "twins" dated April 8, the children's birth date, whom Letby attempted to murder. Further entries dated June 23, 24, and 25 with the initial letters of the three other babies, including triplet boys, that the nurse attacked those dates, after returning from a holiday in Ibiza. A green Post-it note found inside the diary read, "I don't deserve to live. I killed them on purpose because I'm not good enough to care for them," "I am a horrible evil person" and in capital letters "I am evil I did this."
An A4-size piece of paper also found in the diary read, "I killed them. I don't know if I killed them. Maybe I did. Maybe this is down to me." The words "kill me" were written in bold and circled. Other words on the A4 paper were "foreign objects, slander, tired, crime number, diagnosis compromised, risk factors" and, repeatedly penned "help me." Defense Ben Myers KC said the Post-it note was the "anguished outpouring of a young woman." He added Letby was at the time "in fear and despair when she realizes the enormity of what's being said about her, in the moment, to herself."
'I want to be happy in the job that I loved!'
Underneath her bed, an Ibiza bag contained four shift handover sheets for the dates of June 23, June 24, June 25, and June 28, 2016, when she was working at Countess of Chester Hospital's neonatal unit. Another Morrison's shopping bag contained 31 handover sheets, a blood gas reading for a child she allegedly attacked, and a paper towel containing handwritten resuscitation notes. Further searches were conducted at Letby's parents' home in Hereford where she was re-arrested on June 10, 2019, and November 11, 2020. Hearts were doodled on a form along with random words "Tigger, Smudge, Bergerac" and "Help Me."
Other sheets included sentences such as "I trusted you with everything and loved you," "I really can't do this any more, I just want life to be as it was," "I want to be happy in the job that I loved...,. really don't belong anywhere, I'm a problem to those who do know me and it would be much easier for everyone if I just went away." A search conducted at the Westbourne Road property on June 10, revealed another handwritten note found in a black bin bag which included phrases such as "killing me softly," "broken hearted" and "no-one will ever know what happened or why." A total of 257 handover sheets were recovered of which 21 included the names of the babies she allegedly harmed. Letby denies allegations of killing seven babies and attempting to murder 10 others.
