Former neonatal nurse Lucy Letby has been found guilty of attempting to kill a premature baby girl, referred to as Baby K, just hours after her birth.
The 34-year-old was previously convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016.
Stay up-to-date on the latest news with The National Briefing – keeping you in the loop with news as it hits:
The jury initially failed to reach a verdict on the attempted murder of Baby K, prompting a re-trial.
On February 17, 2016, Ms Letby dislodged the breathing tube of Baby K, who was born at 25 weeks.
The prosecution argued that Ms Letby had deliberately interfered with the baby’s ET tube, intending to kill her.
A senior doctor testified that he found her standing over Baby K’s incubator, doing nothing while the baby’s blood oxygen levels were dropping.
Ms Letby is currently serving 14 whole-life orders, which means she will never be eligible for release.
Only three other women in the UK have received whole-life orders.
In a statement read outside the court, Baby K’s family said, “Justice has been served and a nurse who should have been caring for our daughter has been found guilty of harming her. But this Justice will not take away the extreme hurt, anger, and distress that we have all had to experience.”
Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Evans said this has been a long and painful journey for the parents of Baby K.
“(The family have) to face continual denials and sitting through very personal and upsetting evidence in the original trial and again at the re-trial,” she said.
“Their courage, strength and resilience is absolutely remarkable.”
Subscribe to The Briefing, Australia’s fastest-growing news podcast on LiSTNR today. The Briefing serves up the latest news and deep dives on topics affecting you, all in under 20 minutes.