Lucy Letby queried senior doctor's presence, trial hears

A nurse who is accused of murdering seven babies asked a colleague if she should be "worried" hours after her alleged final attack on an infant, a court has heard.

Lucy Letby is said to have attacked the boy, referred to as Child Q, on the day after doctors demanded her removal from frontline nursing duties.

Child Q is the last of the 17 babies Ms Letby is alleged to have targeted between June 2015 and June 2016.

The 33-year-old denies all charges.

The nurse, originally from Hereford, is charged with murdering seven babies and attempting to murder 10 others between June 2015 and June 2016.

A trial at Manchester Crown Court heard how doctors were "content" with Child Q - a premature baby boy - until the morning of 25 June 2016.

Shortly after 09:00 BST, Child Q's monitor alarms activated and staff were alerted to his deterioration.

In a nursing note recorded at the time, Child Q was described as having "vomited clear fluid nasally and from [the] mouth".

It said his heart rate had dropped and he was "mottled" in appearance.

Medics placed the boy on breathing support and he was given antibiotics as a precaution.

Prosecutors said Ms Letby caused his collapse with an injection of air and a clear fluid, which could have been saline or water, into his stomach.

During the collapse, the boy's parents tried to visit him on the neo-natal unit.

In a statement read to the jury, the father said: "I got to the main door to the unit and I was stopped from gaining access to room one, I was told that there was nothing to worry about, that he had a chest infection and they wanted to make sure he was suitable for a visit."

He said they then visited a short time later and were surprised to see their baby on a ventilator.

"I asked a doctor what had happened, he said there was a blip with his breathing, he was tired and needed a rest," he said.

A statement from the baby's mother recalled they were not told of any issue with their child and staff said their main priority was to treat him.

"At no point did they say they were saving [Child Q's] life, I think they played everything down to protect parents and prevent panic."

A nursing note from Ms Letby, who was Child Q's designated nurse that day, said "apologies were given" to the parents for not informing them of their son's collapse.

Messages sent between Ms Letby and her colleagues after the end of her shift at 19:30 were later shown to the court.

In one exchange with a doctor, who cannot be named for legal reasons, Ms Letby asked about the presence of a senior consultant on the unit after Child Q's collapse.

The court previously heard that, after the deaths of triplet brothers Child O and P on 23 and 24 June respectively, Dr John Gibbs had become "concerned" about Ms Letby's presence on the unit.

"Do I need to be worried about what Dr Gibbs was asking?" Ms Letby asked.

She received the response: "No. He was asking to make sure that normal procedures were being carried out."

The doctor, who Ms Letby was previously accused of being "flirty" with, told her "there is nothing to worry about".

"Nobody has accused you of neglecting a baby or causing a deterioration," he added.

Ms Letby responded: "I know. Just worry I haven't done enough.

"We've lost two babies I was caring for and now this happened today, makes you think 'am I missing something/good enough'."

The doctor responded: "Lucy, if anyone knows how hard you've worked over the last three days it's me.

"If anybody says anything to you about not being good enough or performing adequately I want you to promise me that you'll give my details to provide a statement.

"I don't care who it is and I don't care if I've left the trust. Promise?"

Ms Letby responded: "Well I sincerely hope I won't ever be needing a statement. But thank you, I promise."

The doctor told the nurse that she was "one of a few nurses across the region that I would trust with my own children".

On the following week, Ms Letby was removed from her frontline nursing role and placed on clerical duties, where she remained until she was arrested in 2018.

She denies the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of 10 others between June 2015 and June 2016.

The trial continues.

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [email protected]