Text messages despatched by Lucy Letby within the hours after she murdered infants on a neonatal unit have been a key a part of the proof in opposition to her.
They present how she messaged colleagues after she had killed infants, usually informing them of the deaths. In flip, she obtained sympathy and concern.
The texts present how she provided to work further shifts on the neonatal intensive remedy unit (ITU). And, as her murders mounted, in addition they reveal how Letby reacted as the online of suspicion closed in on her. Here are a number of the messages she despatched.
To defend the identities of the infants, and their dad and mom, every child has been named by a letter.
Monday 8 June 2015 – Baby A dies in a single day
The day after murdering Baby A, Letby messages colleagues saying she would not wish to return into the nursery or see the dad and mom – who additionally had one other twin on the unit, Baby B.
She assaults Baby B a while earlier than 11 June.
Letby: It was the toughest factor I’ve ever needed to do.
Letby: Just an enormous shock for us all. Hard coming in tonight & seeing the dad and mom x x
Baby serial killer Lucy Letby
She messages one of many nurses to say she has requested to be assigned to work with one other child:
11 June 2015: Three days after murdering Baby A, she messages a supervisor of the neonatal unit, providing to work extra shifts, saying she must throw herself again in:
13 June 2015: Five days after Baby A’s homicide, and the day earlier than she kills Baby C, Letby has an irritable change with a colleague over her supervisor’s refusal to let her return to work in intensive care.
She says when she labored at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, she discovered she wanted to go straight again and care for an additional child “in any other case the picture of the one you misplaced by no means goes”.
The colleague disagrees, telling her to take a break:
Colleague: I agree together with her do not assume it’s going to assist. You want a break from full on ITU… It sounds very odd and I might be exact opposite.
Letby: Forget i stated something, I’ll be tremendous, It’s a part of the job simply do not feel like there’s a lot group spirit tonight X
The dialog continues into the night, till 23:09 when Letby indicators off saying “Sleep nicely xx”.
Six minutes later, Baby C falls critically in poor health.
Letby had been assigned to a toddler elsewhere within the unit, however that night time she enters the nursery the place Baby C is and feeds air into his abdomen by means of a nasogastric tube, inflicting his collapse.
Sunday 14 June 2015 – Baby C dies
Letby has a textual content dialog with the identical colleague she had been talking to the earlier night time:
Sunday 21 June 2015 – Baby D dies
The morning after murdering Baby D, Letby sends a message to a colleague:
Colleague: What!!!! But she was bettering. What occurred.
Colleague: Wanna chat? I can not imagine you have been on once more. You having such a troublesome time
The dialog continues later:
Letby tells one other colleague “what I’ve seen has actually hit me” however she brushes off the suggestion that she ought to see a counsellor.
Letby: I can not discuss it now, I can not cease crying. I simply have to get it out of my system.
30 June 2015: One of the opposite nurses messages Letby, saying it’s odd that 4 infants have grow to be dangerously unwell inside a brief time period.
Nurse: There’s one thing odd about that night time and the opposite 3 that went so instantly.
Letby: Well Baby C was tiny, clearly compromised in utero. Baby D septic. It’s Baby A I can not get my head round
Tuesday 4 August 2015 – Baby E dies in early hours
That morning, one of many nurses asks how Letby is and if she had been working with Baby E – in addition to his twin brother, Baby F.
Letby: News travels quick. Who informed you?
Letby: Yeah I had them each. Was horrible.
Nurse: I simply actually really feel for his dad and mom however for you too. You’ve had some actually powerful instances lately
That night time, earlier than going again on shift, Letby exchanges texts with a colleague who commiserates, saying “you appear to be having some very dangerous luck”.
Letby: Not so much i can do actually. He had large haemorrhage may have occurred to any child x
Wednesday 5 August 2015 – Baby F falls critically in poor health
Four days after making an attempt to kill Baby F, Letby messages a colleague:
Letby: I stated goodbye to Baby F’s dad and mom as Baby F may go tomorrow. They each cried & hugged me saying they are going to by no means be capable of thank me for the love & care I gave to Baby F & for the valuable reminiscences I’ve given them. It’s heartbreaking
Nurse: It is heartbreaking however you have completed your job to the very best normal with compassion and professionalism.[…]
Letby: I simply really feel unhappy that they’re thanking me once they have misplaced him & for one thing that any of us would have completed. But it is very nice to know that I obtained it proper for them. That’s all I need.
Saturday 26 September 2015 – 5 days after making an attempt to kill Baby G
Letby receives a supportive textual content from a supervisor within the unit and her reply suggests she has been the topic of criticism or suspicion:
The subsequent day she messages one of many different nurses:
Letby: It’s all simply so garbage these days is not it. And at all times appears to occur at night time when much less folks
Letby: This is what we do, as unhappy and as exhausting as it may be
Tuesday 13 October 2015 – Baby I falls critically in poor health
The subsequent morning, Letby texts a colleague who’s taking up, saying Baby I “deteriorated so much this morning” and needed to be resuscitated.
In the afternoon, she messages the nurse who’s performing as shift chief to ask if Baby I might be transferred.
Letby: I’d wish to preserve her please
The shift chief agrees, however a bit of over an hour later she messages to say she needed to reallocate. Letby asks if one thing occurred.
Shift chief: No. Was simply requested to reallocate so nobody has her for greater than 1 night time at a time.
Baby I died the next week, when Letby was once more on an in a single day shift. She has been discovered responsible of her homicide.
Over the following few months extra infants fall in poor health. In textual content messages, she complains about understaffing, and volunteers for further shifts – together with the shift the place she makes an attempt to homicide twins, Baby L and Baby M.
In early June 2016, Letby connects on Facebook Messenger with a physician on the hospital. Their messages present an in depth relationship.
Later that month, she murders Baby O and Baby P.
Friday 24 June 2016 – Baby P dies
Letby murders Baby O on Thursday 23 June. She kills his brother, Baby P, the next day.
A day later, she asks the physician she had been messaging for reassurance after one of many advisor paediatricians, Dr John Gibbs, had been asking questions following one other child’s collapse and resuscitation.
Letby: Do I have to be fearful about what Dr Gibbs was asking?
Doctor: He was asking to ensure that regular procedures have been being carried out.
The dialog continues:
The physician gives additional reassurance:
Doctor: You are one of some nurses throughout the area (I’ve labored just about in all places) that I might belief with my very own youngsters.
6 July 2016: The physician messages Letby giving her particulars of a gathering which reviewed the deaths of Baby O and Baby P, saying “You have to preserve this to your self”.
Doctor: There is completely nothing so that you can fear about. Please do not.
Doctor: There are going to be some suggestions based mostly on staffing / package however there was no criticism of both resus.
He additionally shares an e mail from neonatal lead advisor Dr Steve Brearey, which mentions that the deaths of Baby O and Baby P will go to an inquest.
The subsequent day he provides: “I do know you will not say something – this e mail has to remain between us, is that okay?”
“Of course,” Letby replies. “100%”.
15 July 2016: All workers are emailed to say they should bear a interval of medical supervision in preparation for an exterior evaluation.
Staff are informed that Letby has agreed to go first. The subsequent day, she texts a colleague to say she has completed a timeline of the 12 months to analyse her circumstances. She says some have been severely in poor health when she took over and “some went off inside hours/on handover”.
Letby was first arrested two years later, in July 2018. It took one other 5 years for her to be discovered responsible of murdering seven infants and making an attempt to homicide one other six.
At the top of her 10-month trial, the jury discovered her not responsible of two additional costs of tried homicide and was unable to return verdicts on six additional costs, additionally of tried homicide.
She is probably the most prolific little one assassin within the UK in trendy instances.
Panorama – Lucy Letby: The Nurse Who Killed – might be on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 20:00 BST (UK solely) on Friday 18 August
Names of kids and a few workers members have been redacted. Some messages have been edited for readability
Additional reporting by Joseph Lee and Vibeke Venema
