Lucy Letby: Families of murdered babies "heartbroken" after nurse's conviction

Families of victims in the Lucy Letby case have expressed their “extreme hurt, anger and distress”.

Today (18 August) a jury found the NHS nurse guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill a further six while she worked at Countess of Chester Hospital, in 2015 and 2016.

Letby, 33 from Westbourne Road, Chester, was charged in November 2020 with the murder of six babies and attempted murder of another 10. The trial began last October.

Speaking outside Manchester Crown Court, Janet Moore, family liaison co-ordinator at Cheshire Constabulary, read out a joint statement on behalf of the families which said: “Today justice has been served and the nurse who should have been caring for our babies has been found guilty of harming them.

“But this justice will not take away from the extreme hurt, anger and distress that we have all had to experience.

“Some families did not receive the verdict that they expected and therefore it is a bittersweet result. We are heartbroken, devastated, angry and feel numb.

“We may never truly know why this happened.”

Families added in a joint statement that they have been through a “long, torturous and emotional journey”.

They said: “Words cannot effectively explain how we are feeling at this moment in time. We are quite simply stunned.

“To lose a baby is a heartbreaking experience that no parent should ever have to go through, but to lose a baby or to have a baby harmed in these particular circumstances is unimaginable.

“Over the past seven to eight years we have had to go through a long, torturous and emotional journey.

“From losing our precious newborns and grieving their loss, seeing our children who survived, some of whom are still suffering today, to being told years later that their death or collapse might be suspicious, nothing can prepare you for that news.”