Lucy Letby: Is the baby killer still a nurse, and will she be struck off the register?

Baby killer Lucy Letby is technically still a nurse - but probably won't be for much longer.

Letby, 33 from Westbourne Road, Chester, was handed a whole-life sentence yesterday (21 August) after being found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder a further six between 2015 and 2016.

The nurse was working at the Countess of Chester Hospital when she cruelly murdered the babies in the neonatal unit, Manchester Crown Court heard.

Letby - who was absent from court for her sentencing - was suspended on full pay when she was arrested back in July 2018, and was sacked when she was charged in November 2020.

However, Letby is still a registerd nurse, as even though she was suspended she is still on the UK's nursing register. That being said, this likely won't be the case for much longer.

Before her sentencing, Andrea Sutcliffe, chief executive and registrar at the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), said: "First and foremost, our thoughts and sympathies are with the parents and families whose lives have been so terribly impacted by these heinous and heart-breaking crimes.

“This has been a long, complex criminal investigation. We’ve kept in close contact with the police and the trust throughout, and will continue to do so.

“Ms Letby remains suspended from our register, and we will now move forward with our regulatory action, seeking to strike her off the register.”

The NMC has confirmed that this process is being taken forward, although an exact timeframe has not been disclosed.

Mr Justice James Goss, who presided over the case, said: "Over a period of almost 13 months you murdered seven babies and attempted to murder six others," he said.

"You acted in a way that was completely contrary to the normal human instincts of nurturing and caring for babies, and in gross breach of the trust that all citizens place in those who work in the medical profession. The babies you harmed were born prematurely - you deliberately harmed them, attempting to kill them.

"There is no doubt that you are intelligent, which enabled you repeatedly to harm babies on the unit without arousing suspicion for some time. You used a number of different ways to try to kill them; you took opportunities to harm babies when staff were on breaks, and on some occasions falsified records.

"The impact of your crimes has been immense, as disclosed by the deeply moving personal statements. Loving parents have been robbed of their cherished children.

"There was a deep malevolence bordering on sadism in your actions. You have coldly deny any responsibility - you have no remorse."