Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

'Cruel, calculated' killer-nurse jailed for life

Lucy Letby, 33, murdered the five baby boys and two baby girls at the neonatal unit of Countess of Chester hospital

'Cruel, calculated' killer-nurse jailed for life

NURSE Lucy Letby will spend the rest of her life behind bars for killing seven newborn babies after a judge on Monday (21) ruled Britain's most prolific serial child killer of modern times should never be released.

Letby, 33, murdered the five baby boys and two baby girls at the neonatal unit of Countess of Chester hospital in northern England over 13 months from 2015, injecting the infants with insulin or air, or force fed them milk.


Some of those she attacked were twins - in one case she murdered both siblings, in another she killed two of three triplets, and in two instances she murdered one twin but failed in her attempts to kill the other.

"This was a cruel, calculated and cynical campaign of child murder involving the smallest and most vulnerable of children," said the judge, James Goss, who sentenced her to life imprisonment with no prospect of release.

"There was a deep malevolence bordering on sadism in your actions ... You have no remorse. There are no mitigating factors ... You will spend the rest of your life in prison," he said as the parents of the babies sobbed in the courtroom.

Whole life orders are very rare, and only three women in Britain have received such a sentence before, including serial killers Myra Hindley and Rosemary West.

Police have found no motive for her crimes, and Goss said only Letby knew the reasons for her actions.

She refused to leave the cells to hear her sentence being handed down, leading to demands that criminals must be forced to hear the impact of their actions on their victims or their families.

The mother of one of the victims described it as a final act of wickedness.

The harrowing crimes committed by Letby, who was in her 20s when she carried out her killing spree at her workplace, have horrified Britain, wrecked the lives of victims' families and caused lasting damage to her colleagues.

She was found guilty last week of seven counts of murder and seven of attempted murder following a 10-month trial at Manchester Crown Court. Jurors were unable to agree on whether she had tried to kill six and acquitted her of two other charges of attempted murder.

Earlier the court heard emotional, heart-wrenching statements from each of the parents of those she murdered and tried to kill, recounting the trauma and "excruciating agony" she had caused.

"Lucy Letby has destroyed our lives. The anger and the hatred I have towards her will never go away," the father of the triplets said in a statement.

A mother of twins, one of whom was murdered while the other survived, said she hoped Letby lived a long life, spending every day suffering for what she had done.

"My family will never think of you again. From this day, you are nothing," the mother said.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak said her failure to hear the impact of her actions first hand was "cowardly".

While the current law says judges can increase jail terms on those who fail to appear, the government is considering making attendance compulsory.

"That's something that we'll bring forward in due course," Sunak said.

The government has also ordered an inquiry into the case amid accusations from senior doctors on the neonatal unit that their concerns about Letby were not heeded by hospital bosses, with calls to ensure it is led by a judge who can compel witnesses to give evidence.

Sunak said it was important families got the answers they needed and that the inquiry was carried out as quickly and as transparently as possible.

Police are also investigating 4,000 other admissions to neonatal units where Letby worked to see if there are other victims.

(Reuters)

More For You

Sir Sajid Javid leads commission 'tackling social divisions'

Sir Sajid Javid (Photo by Tom Nicholson-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Sir Sajid Javid leads commission 'tackling social divisions'

A cross-party group has been formed to tackle the deep divisions that sparked last summer's riots across England. The new commission will be led by former Tory minister Sir Sajid Javid and ex-Labour MP Jon Cruddas.

The Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion has backing from both prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch. It brings together 19 experts from different political parties and walks of life.

Keep ReadingShow less
​Masum

Masum was seen on CCTV trying to steer the pram away and, when she refused to go with him, stabbed her multiple times before walking away and boarding a bus. (Photo: West Yorkshire Police)

West Yorkshire Police

Habibur Masum convicted of murdering estranged wife in front of baby

A MAN who stabbed his estranged wife to death in Bradford in front of their baby has been convicted of murder.

Habibur Masum, 26, attacked 27-year-old Kulsuma Akter in broad daylight on April 6, 2024, stabbing her more than 25 times while she pushed their seven-month-old son in a pram. The baby was not harmed.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India flight crash
Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Getty Images

India declines UN investigator’s participation in Air India crash probe: Report

INDIA has declined a request from the United Nations aviation agency to allow one of its investigators to observe the probe into the Air India crash that killed 260 people in Ahmedabad on June 12, Reuters reported, citing two senior sources familiar with the matter.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) had offered to provide assistance by sending one of its investigators, following the crash of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner earlier this month. It was an unusual move, as ICAO typically deploys investigators only upon request from the country leading the investigation.

Keep ReadingShow less
Anna Wintour

Wintour’s style of leadership earned her the nickname “Nuclear Wintour”

Getty Images

Anna Wintour steps down as editor of US Vogue after 37 years

Key points

  • Anna Wintour steps down as editor of US Vogue after 37 years
  • She will remain Vogue’s global editorial director and hold senior roles at Condé Nast
  • Wintour transformed US Vogue into a global fashion authority
  • The 75-year-old has received numerous honours, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom

End of an era at US Vogue

Anna Wintour has stepped down as the editor of US Vogue, bringing to a close a 37-year tenure that redefined the publication and saw her become one of the most influential figures in global fashion.

The announcement was made on Thursday (26 June) during a staff meeting in New York. Wintour, 75, will no longer oversee the day-to-day editorial operations of Vogue’s US edition. However, she will continue to serve as Vogue’s global editorial director and Condé Nast’s chief content officer, maintaining senior leadership roles across the company.

Keep ReadingShow less
Post Office scandal trials 'unlikely before 2028'

FILE PHOTO: A Post Office van parked outside the venue for the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry at Aldwych House on January 11, 2024 in London. (Photo: Getty Images)

Post Office scandal trials 'unlikely before 2028'

THE people responsible for the Post Office Horizon scandal may not face trial until 2028, according to the senior police officer leading the investigation.

Commander Stephen Clayman has said that the process is taking longer because police are now looking at a wider group of people, not just those directly involved in decisions about the faulty Horizon computer system, reported the Telegraph.

Keep ReadingShow less