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| Lucy Letby |
For killing seven newborns and attempting to kill another six at a neonatal hospital in the English city of Chester, British nurse Lucy Letby was given a life sentence.
With a whole-life order, Justice James Goss gave Letby, 33, the harshest punishment permitted by British law, guaranteeing that she would live her entire life in prison. The death penalty is not used in the UK.
Letby, one of the UK's most prolific serial child killers, was found guilty earlier this month of murdering five baby boys, two baby girls, and attacking other infants in the neonatal section at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.
She did not show up for her sentencing at Manchester Crown Court, where Justice Goss ruled that "there was premeditation, calculation, and cunning" in her deeds.
"There was a malice in your action that bordered on sadism," he remarked.
"Over the course ofYou have vehemently denied any wrongdoing throughout this trial. You are not sorry. There are no limiting circumstances.
Prosecutors said during Letby's 10-month trial that in 2015, the hospital began to notice a marked increase in the number of infants who were passing away or experiencing unexpected changes in their health.
After receiving assistance from medical personnel, some people who had "serious catastrophic collapses" survived.
Letby was on duty in each case, and according to the prosecution, she was a "constant malevolent presence" in the neonatal ward at the time the infants passed away or collapsed.
They alleged the nurse caused harm to the infants in subtle ways and convinced her coworkers that their collapses and deaths were typical.
Ben Myers, a defense lawyerclaimed that Letby had maintained her innocence and that he had nothing to say to lessen her sentence.
"Our daughter suffered torture"
Letby skipped the hearing so she wouldn't have to hear the parents of the children whose lives she murdered or those she damaged express their rage and agony.
Child I's mother stated the following in a statement given aloud in court:
"I don't think we will ever be able to get over the fact that our daughter was tortured until she had no more strength left in her, and everything she went through over the course of her brief life was deliberately done by someone who was supposed to protect her and help her come home where she belonged," the mother of the victim said.
The families of the victims were enraged by Letby's absence during sentence, which is permitted in British courts, and wanted her to hear comments about the tragedy.resulting from her crimes.
In a statement to the court, the mother of twins, one of whom Letby tried to kill and the other of whom was slain, said, "You thought it was your right to play God with our children's lives."
After a number of high-profile inmates chose not to appear in front of their victims in recent months, politicians and victim groups have urged for changes in the law to require criminals to appear for punishment.
The crimes were described as "shocking and harrowing" by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who also promised that his administration would bring forward its proposal to let inmates attend their sentencing in "due course."
Letby's health had been a concern for doctors.
Senior physicians claimed that as early as October 2015, they had expressed concerns about Letby.implies that if managers had taken their worries seriously, kids might have been rescued.
According to Dr. Stephen Brearey, lead consultant at the neonatal ward at the Countess of Chester Hospital, deaths may have been prevented as early as February 2016 if executives had "responded appropriately" to a request by worried clinicians for an urgent meeting.
In late June 2016, Letby was ultimately relieved of his front-line responsibilities. In July 2018, she was detained at her residence.
An impartial investigation will be carried out into what occurred at the hospital and how personnel and management handled the sudden increase in fatalities.
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