29.5 C
Accra
Friday, February 7, 2025
WorldLucy Letby claims "gang of four" doctors used her as an scapegoat...

Date:

Lucy Letby claims “gang of four” doctors used her as an scapegoat for baby fatalities

‘Gang of four’ consultants, according to nurse Lucy Letby, blamed her for a string of infant fatalities in order to hide institutional shortcomings.

The 33-year-old, who denies killing seven infants and attempting to kill ten more, named the Countess of Chester Hospital’s senior physicians whom she alleges were involved in a scheme against her.

For the second day of cross-examination, prosecutor Nick Johnson KC questioned: “Four doctors. Four people, let’s call them a gang. What’s going on here?

Letby replied: ‘They have apportioned blame on to me.’ Mr Johnson asked: ‘The motive?’ Letby said: ‘I believe to cover failings at the hospital.’ 

She named Dr Stephen Brearey, Dr John Gibbs, Dr Ravi Jayaram and one other doctor who cannot be named for legal reasons. 

Earlier Mr Johnson suggested Letby was the only ‘common feature’ and had to be the person responsible for harming the babies. 

He said: ‘Do you agree that if certain combinations of these children were attacked, then unless there was more than one person attacking them, you have to be the attacker?’ 

Letby replied: ‘No, I have not attacked anyone.’ 

Lucy Letby a neonatal nurse at Chester Hospital whose home in Chester and parents home in Hereford are being attended by police. A female healthcare worker has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of eight babies and the attempted murder of another six after an investigation of the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital. 3 July 2018. See ROSS PARRY story RPYDEATHS.
Letby named the senior doctors at the Countess of Chester Hospital she suggests have plotted against her (Picture: Chester Standard/SWNS)

Mr Johnson continued: ‘If the jury conclude that a certain combination were actually attacked by someone, then the shift pattern gives us the answer, who the attacker was?’ 

Letby replied: ‘No, I don’t agree. Just because I was on shift doesn’t mean I have done anything.’ 

Mr Johnson said: ‘If the jury conclude, let’s say babies five, eight, 10 and 12, were all attacked, you are the only common feature, it would have to be, you are the attacker?’ 

Letby replied: ‘That’s for them to decide.’ 

Jurors have heard that she took a photo on her phone of a sympathy card she wrote to be passed to colleagues attending the funeral of one of the babies – Child I. 

Letby is accused of killing the infant at the fourth attempt. 

BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE EDITORS NOTE IMAGE REDACTED AT SOURCE Undated handout photo issued by Cheshire Constabulary/Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) of the sympathy card that was shown to the jury in the Lucy Letby murder trial at Manchester Crown Court. Nurse Ms Letby wrote the sympathy card to the grieving parents of a baby girl she is said to have murdered. The defendant took a photograph on her mobile phone of the card ahead of the youngster's funeral. Issue date: Thursday February 2, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story COURTS Letby. Photo credit should read: Cheshire Constabulary/Crown Prosecution Service/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
The sympathy card that was shown to the jury in the Lucy Letby murder trial at Manchester Crown Court (Picture: PA)

Mr Johnson said: ‘You took a picture of a card, addressed to the parents of a child who had died in dreadful circumstances, at the place where she died.’ 

Letby told the court: ‘The place is insignificant. My usual behaviour is to photograph things that I send or receive.’ 

The prosecutor asked: ‘Did it give you a bit of a thrill to photograph it at the place where this poor unfortunate child died?’ 

Letby replied: ‘Absolutely not.’ 

She also admitted occasionally visiting the unit at night while not working a shift but said it would have been to fill in paperwork or speak to colleagues. 

Mr Johnson said she had been on the unit on a day off when a baby girl, Child G – who she allegedly tried to murder – was seriously ill. 

The prosecutor said: ‘You had been having a look at her, hadn’t you? Why are you looking at this child?’ 

Letby said she was ‘checking on her’ as the paperwork she had come back to complete related to that baby. 

Mr Johnson continued: ‘There’s no record of you going into the unit from the swipe data. You would not need a pass to get in. You could ring the buzzer and walk in. People trusted you.’ 

She replied: ‘To go to the unit at night, you have to have a reason to go. It was quieter at night.’ 

Letby, from Hereford, denies all the alleged offences said to have taken place between June 2015 and June 2016. 

Her trial at Manchester Crown Court continues.

[forminator_poll id="710479"]

Latest stories

Brigadier General Tanye-Kulono appointed as Acting GHPA boss

President John Dramani Mahama has named Brigadier General Paul...

42 ministers sworn-in by Mahama so far

President John Dramani Mahama has officially sworn in a...

Ghana’s Hajj quota increased by 1,000 pilgrims

Saudi Arabia has increased Ghana's Hajj pilgrimage quota from...

Miss Côte d’Ivoire 2025 ditches artificial hair enhancements

An African beauty pageant is breaking tradition to make...

Mahama swears in Ablakwa, Sam George, 15 others

President John Dramani is swearing in another set of...

I’m fair and neutral – Vetting Chaos Committee Chair to critics

Emmanuel Bedzrah, the head of the committee probing the...

Related stories

“I still consider it my biggest failure” – Bill Gates on life after divorce

Bill Gates is speaking candidly about his divorce from Melinda French...

Kanye West reclaims title as wealthiest rapper, surpassing JAY-Z

Kanye West has reportedly reclaimed the title of the...

Meta offers TikTokers $5,000 to join Facebook, Instagram

Social media giant Meta has offered to pay up...

About 1,600 Capitol riot defendants pardoned by Trump

President Donald Trump has issued pardons or commuted sentences...

LIVESTREAMING: Swearing-in ceremony for Donald Trump

Today marks the beginning of Donald Trump's second term...

Inauguration Day schedule for Trump’s swearing-in ceremony today

Donald Trump will take the oath of office today...

WhatsApp to stop working on these devices in 2025

WhatsApp will soon cease supporting 18 Android models and...