Nurse Lucy Letby told a colleague it was "a bit of a stretch" after she allegedly killed a second baby. The 32-year-old woman is accused of killing the premature baby known as Child C days after she killed Child A and attempted to murder her twin sister, Child B, in June 2015.
Her trial at Manchester Crown Court heard this child C, who weighed 800 grams, collapsed while Letby was on night shift and died just before 6am. on June 14th. On Thursday, the jury was shown the messages Letby sent to friends after she finished her shift that morning. In a message to his colleague Jennifer Jones-Key, he said, "Sorry if I'm wrong, it just wasn't a great start to the shift," but unfortunately it got worse.
He continued, "I was struggling to accept what happened to (Boy A). Now we (boy C) lost overnight and it's all too much. He described the death as 'so sad and cruel'. '" and said to Ms. Jones-Key, "I see you both all the time. Nobody should have to see and do the things we do. It's heartbreaking.
He added: "It's not about me or anyone else, it's about these poor parents who are without their baby. It's so incredibly sad. Letby also texted her mum Susan that morning, telling her: "We lost a little one in the night. Very unexpected and sad. She told her mother the baby weighed just 800 grams and was being cared for by "new baby" Sophie Ellis, who was "devastated".
Ms. Letby replied, "We are so proud of you, we love you." Later, Letby wrote to Ms Ellis, saying: "We're a good team and we're going to get through this. You did very well." She sent a message to another colleague to tell him about the death of Child C and said: "Everything happened very quickly. She continued, "There are no words, it was awful."
Just before 4:00 p.m. On the day of Child C's death, Letby searched his parents' names on Facebook, the court heard. The jury was informed that another baby, boy D, died in the unit later that month. On June 30, Letby and a colleague exchanged news about Child B's condition. His colleague said, "There's something odd about that night and the other three that happened so suddenly." Letby replied, "What do you mean by that?"
He added: "Well, (Boy C) was very young, obviously compromised in the womb, (Boy D) septic. It's (boy A) I don't understand. Letby, originally from Hereford, denies the murders of seven babies and the attempted murder of 10 others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016. A court order bars reporting the identities of surviving and dead children allegedly attacked by Letby , and also prohibits the identification of parents or witnesses in connection with the children.