Nurse Lucy Letby told police that three babies who died in two weeks during her care was “bad luck”, a court has heard.
Letby, 33, is currently on trial as she denies killing seven babies and attempting to kill 10 more between June 2015 and June 2016 at the Countess of Chester hospital.
At Manchester Crown Court on Thursday, the jury heard police interviews after her three arrests in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
Lucy Letby trial latest
In one interview with police, an officer asked Letby how she felt when three babies had died and a fourth suffered a life-threatening collapse within two weeks in June 2015.
The nurse told detectives: “That it was a shock to have that many deaths.”
What do you put that down to? Bad luck?
An officer said it “must have been devastating” for her. Letby replied: “Yes.” When asked how she had coped with the deaths, Letby told police that she had to “find a way to deal with it and carry on to provide the job and the care we do give”.
The court heard that Letby said she had been concerned about “a spike” in deaths. However, she did not raise the concern with managers.
She reportedly said to police that she “didn’t feel there was anything that needed to be looked into, it was just a shock for everybody”.
A detective said to Letby that she was present at all three deaths of the babies. The officer said to her: “You dealt with all of these. What do you put that down to? Bad luck?”
The court heard that Letby replied: “Yes.”
Letby was working as a nurse on the neo-natal unit at the hospital at the time of the deaths. She was arrested in 2018 on suspicion of eight counts of suspected murder and six counts of attempted murder.
Lucy Letby arrests
However, at the time, she was released on bail as further enquiries were pending. Letby was then arrested again in 2019 and in 2020, when she was charged.
The nurse allegedly attacked four infants and killed three, by injecting them with air. She has denied all the charges against her. The trial began in October 2022.
On the fourth day of the trial last year, the prosecution showed the court a note allegedly written by Letby.
It read: “I am evil, I did this,” and “I don’t deserve to live. I killed them on purpose because I’m not good enough.”
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The trial continues.
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