A Manchester court has sentenced nurse Lucy Letby, guilty of killing seven newborns, to life in prison without the right to pardon or parole.
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This is the harshest sentence in the British legal system.
It was on such a verdict that the prosecution insisted, stating that the actions of the accused fall under the category of conscious sadism.
Even before the announcement of the verdict, Letby’s lawyers said that in this case there was no way to look for any extenuating circumstances and count on the indulgence of the jury. Letby refused to be present in the courtroom during the announcement of the verdict. She became the fourth woman in the history of English law to be sentenced to life.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called her refusal to look her victims’ families in the eye shameful cowardice. He promised that the government will amend the legislation, which will oblige the convicts to be present during the verdicts.
Meanwhile, Judge Justice Goss read out his address to the convict in the first person, as if he were present in the courtroom.
The life of newborn babies was cut short, just beginning, and the life of their relatives is forever destroyed. Your motives are known to you alone,” Judge Goss said.
The judge drew particular attention to the special cynicism with which Lucy Letby killed one of the babies. In the last minutes of his life, she, along with other doctors, actively participated in his resuscitation, pretending to hope for his salvation.
Also, the judge dwelled in detail on each case of death and causing grievous bodily harm to all babies.
In addition to seven proven murders, during the trial of Letby, her guilt was also proven in the attempt on the life of six more babies. In six more episodes considered at the trial, the jury failed to reach a verdict.
Letby killed newborns by injecting air with a syringe between June 2015 and June 2016 while working at the Countess of Chester Hospital (the main NHS hospital in Chester).
She also used methods such as overfeeding and insulin poisoning.
Some of Letby’s colleagues suspected her involvement after the first three deaths: in all cases, by the time the children died, she was on duty. However, the hospital administration did not take it seriously at first.
Letby, no sentence can compensate for the excruciating agony that we experienced as a result of your deeds, said the mother of one of the babies killed by a nurse before the announcement of the verdict.
While awaiting sentencing, lawyers released a statement from the twins’ parents – one of whom was killed. According to them, the second child was saved only by the fact that after a tragic and incomprehensible death, the first family insisted that a family member be constantly on duty at the crib of another child.
On August 21, the judge and all those present in the courtroom heard a series of testimonies and confessions from the parents of the children who were Letby’s victims. Some admit that hatred of the nurse has become as devastating for them as the loss of a child.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.