CHILDREN'S nurse Lucy Letby has been charged with murdering eight babies while attempting to kill ten others at the hospital where she worked in Cheshire.
The 30-year-old is finally is set to go on trial on July 4, 2022, while a further pre-trial hearing will be held in October following a three-year investigation into the deaths at the Countess of Chester Hospital's neonatal unit.
Who is Lucy Letby?
Lucy Letby, of Hereford, was a children's neo natal nurse in The Counter of Chester Hospital.
In 2011 she graduated with a nursing degree from Chester University.
Following her graduation, she worked at Liverpool Women's Hospital.
In 2018 Letby was arrested on suspicion of murdering eight babies while working at the Chester Hospital.
She was rearrested in connection with the attempted murder of three additional babies in June 2019.
In November 2020, Letby was rearrested again and charged with eight counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder.
She appeared at Warrington Magistrates' Court on November 12, 2020, to face all charges which relate to the year from June 2015 to June 2016.
In May 2021, the date was set for her trial, at a case management hearing at Liverpool Crown Court.
Letby appeared by videolink from HMP Peterborough and spoke only to confirm she could hear proceedings from Liverpool during the hearing.
The trial at Manchester Crown Court is expected to last six months.
The defendant remains in custody.
What have cops said?
Detective Inspector Paul Hughes, who is in charge of the investigation, said following her rearrest in 2019: "In July 2018 a healthcare professional was arrested on suspicion of murder in relation to the deaths of eight babies and the attempted murder of six babies at the neonatal unit at The Countess of Chester Hospital.
"She was subsequently bailed pending further enquiries.
"As part of our ongoing investigation, we have rearrested the healthcare professional on suspicion of murder in relation to the deaths of eight babies and the attempted murder of six babies.
"She has also been arrested in connection with the attempted murder of three additional babies.
"The woman is currently in custody helping officers with their enquiries."
Det Insp Hughes said the investigation was "extremely challenging" and that parents of all the babies were being kept fully up to date.
Following Letby's most recent rearrest, Hughes said: "It has been more than three years since we first launched an investigation into a number of baby deaths and non-fatal collapses at the neonatal unit at The Countess of Chester Hospital.
"In that time a dedicated team of detectives have been working extremely hard on this highly complex and very sensitive case doing everything they can as quickly as they can to identify what has led to these baby deaths and collapses.
"In July 2018, a healthcare professional was arrested on suspicion of murder in relation to the deaths of eight babies and the attempted murder of six babies at the neonatal unit at The Countess of Chester Hospital. She was subsequently bailed pending further enquiries.
"In June 2019, the healthcare professional was rearrested on suspicion of murder in relation to the deaths of eight babies and the attempted murder of six babies. She was also arrested in connection with the attempted murder of three additional babies.
"Today [November 10], as part of our ongoing enquiries, the healthcare professional has been rearrested on suspicion of murder in relation to the deaths of eight babies and the attempted murder of nine babies.
"The woman is currently in custody helping officers with their enquiries."
On November 11, 2020, the Crown Prosecution Service authorised Cheshire Police to charge Lucy Letby with murder in connection with an ongoing investigation into a number of baby deaths at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Why was an investigation launched?
Police launched a probe into the neo-natal unit at Countess of Chester Hospital in May 2017.
The hospital trust raised the alarm itself following the high number of fatalities between March 2015 and July 2016.
The death rate of babies at the hospital was over 10 per cent the average death rate for maternity wards.
In 2013, two babies died at the Countess of Chester Hospital however in 2015, eight babies died.
Medics launched an internal inquiry after finding the premature babies had collapsed with heart and lung failure but were unusually impossible to resuscitate.
A report later found the babies developed strange blotches on their arms and legs after death.
Experts could not find a cause of death and police were called in to investigate in 2017.
When was Lucy Letby previously arrested?
Lucy Letby was first arrested on July 3, 2018, on suspicion of murdering eight babies at the hospital and attempted murder in relation to six others.
The cases involve families from Cheshire and North Wales.
Nearly a year later, on June 10, 2019, Letby was arrested again on the initial counts, as well as for the attempted murder of three additional babies.
Cheshire Police were probing the deaths of 17 infants between 2015 and 2016.
Letby’s arrest was part of a long inquiry into a higher than expected number of baby deaths at the Countess of Chester hospital over an 18 month period.
In November 2020, Letby was rearrested following a three-year investigation into the deaths of eight babies as well as the attempted murder of three further babies.
She will face trial in 2022.
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