“Daily Mail” and Reuters on the 12th, British police said on Wednesday that a female medical worker was accused of murdering 8 babies in a hospital in northern England and attempting to murder another 10 babies.
Lucy Letterby, 30, is accused of a newborn death that occurred at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016. At that time, some babies died of cardiopulmonary failure, but they were unusually unable to successfully undergo resuscitation. When the medical staff found the matter strange, an internal investigation was conducted. A report also found unusual spots on the arms and legs of the dead baby, but the cause of death could not be determined.
Lettby’s friends and family said at the time that they firmly believed that the “clumsy” but “kind” neonatal nurse was innocent.
As part of the investigation, Letterby was first arrested in July 2018 but was later released.
The police said in a statement: “The Crown Prosecution Service has now authorized the Cheshire Police to prosecute a health care professional for murder in connection with a series of ongoing investigations into infant deaths.”
Letterby is from Hereford and currently faces 8 murders and 10 attempted murder charges. She will appear in the District Court this Thursday (November 12).
Despite these allegations, a friend of Letterby previously called her a “professional nurse” who devoted herself to her “dream job” and “not even a fly will hurt her.”
The woman, who asked not to be named, said: “To be honest, we are still shocked by this. Lucy is doing the job she dreams of doing and looks very dedicated and professional. You can’t imagine that she would hurt a fly. Don’t mention helpless babies.”
Another resident on the street who asked not to be named added: “I knew her when she was a little girl. She is very cute and I watched her grow up. So this is a very shocking news. I can not understand.”
A clerk who works in a store near their home said: “They (the Letby family) come occasionally. They are a very polite family. They all look friendly and normal.”
Arrested for the third time on suspicion of murdering a baby! A nurse in the UK charged with 18 counts, police say the investigation is “very complicated”
According to reports from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the Daily Telegraph, a former nurse at the Countess Hospital of Chester was arrested on suspicion of murdering a baby on the 10th local time. , Was charged with 8 counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder, and will appear in Warrington District Court on the 12th.
Lucy Letterby, the nurse suspected of murdering the baby (data map)
“Daily Telegraph” stated that this is the third time she has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a baby. The police said the investigation into the case was “very complicated.”
The newspaper quoted a police spokesperson as saying: “The Royal Prosecution Service has authorized the Cheshire Police to prosecute a medical worker for murder. This person is related to the death of multiple babies at Chester Hospital under investigation.”
The report also stated that the suspect is named Lucy Letterby, who is 30 years old this year and has been “prolonged murder” of babies since 2017. He was arrested twice in 2018 and 2019. The arrest is part of the “Infant Death Investigation” that the hospital started in 2017. The police said the case was very complicated, which is why the investigation took more than three years.
The police also stated that the parents of all the babies involved in the case are keeping abreast of the development of the situation and are supported by the police.
According to previous media reports, the police launched an investigation into the infant death of the nurse’s hospital in May 2017. The initial investigation object was 15 infants who died between June 2015 and June 2016. Subsequently, the scope of the investigation was expanded to include 17 infant deaths between March 2015 and July 2016.
