The Court of Appeal rejected the plea of British nurse Lucy Letby to overturn her conviction for the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of six others.
Letby, 34, was convicted last year of multiple charges related to infant deaths at the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit.
During a brief hearing, Judge Victoria Sharp stated that the appeal was denied on all grounds, with a detailed written ruling to be issued later. Due to legal restrictions, no further details were provided.
Lucy Letby faces a retrial next month at Manchester Crown Court on one remaining count of attempted murder.
Background on Lucy Letby:
Originally from Hereford, Letby studied nursing at the University of Chester, graduating in 2011. She joined the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital a year later. By 2015, she had qualified to care for babies in intensive care.
Despite an active social life, including salsa dancing, travelling, and gym workouts, Letby was accused of severely harming 17 babies between June 2015 and June 2016. Prosecutors claimed she injected some infants with air and administered excessive insulin or milk to others.
After 22 days of deliberations, the jury convicted her of seven murders and six attempted murders. She was acquitted on two counts, and the jury was deadlocked on six other charges of attempted murder. Among the victims were a set of twins and two of a set of triplets. For privacy and legal reasons, the identities of the infants were kept confidential and referred to only as Baby A to Q.
It was revealed that Letby had searched for the parents of the babies she targeted on Facebook, claiming she did this when she thought about them.
