When we have any health difficulties, we look to medical professionals to care for us and make sure we are able to get through the issue successfully. The doctors and nurses are not perfect, but we realize that they are doing their best to help those who are in a very difficult situation. Every once in a while, however, we hear about a medical professional that goes the other way, and that is the case with a British nurse, 30-year-old Lucy Letbe. She was working that the Countess of Chester Hospital, but now she is under arrest.
Letbe was arrested after a probe that lasted for three years. The facility had talked about difficulties when there were a large number of deaths between March 2015 and July 2016. They feel as if Letbe is to blame, and now she is being charged with eight counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder. When she spoke, it was only to verify her name, date of birth, and her address. It was during that time that the names of the dead babies were revealed, Cemlyn Bennett, Joseph Johnson, Elsie McNall, Barney Gee, Daisy Parkin, Maddie Freed, Joseph Gelder and Eli Gelde.
The hospital is located southeast of Liverpool in Cheshire. An internal inquiry was started when premature babies were suffering from lung failures and heart diseases at an alarming rate. According to a statement, “The Crown Prosecution Service has authorized Cheshire Police to charge a healthcare professional with murder in connection with an ongoing investigation into a number of baby deaths at the Countess of Chester Hospital. Lucy Letby, of Arran Avenue, Hereford, is facing eight charges of murder and 10 charges of attempted murder.”
The parents of the victims were given an update on developments after she was arrested. Specially trained officers offered emotional support.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Hughes, who was in charge of the program, said: “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.”
“This is an extremely difficult time for all the families and it is important to remember that, at the heart of this, there are a number of bereaved families seeking answers as to what happened to their children,” he added.
Dr. Susan Gilby, the hospital CEO added the following: “We acknowledge the new and significant development in this case, which is of serious concern to the Trust.
“We are fully supportive and respectful of the judicial processes and as such will not be making any further comments at this stage. Our thoughts continue to be with all the families involved.”
The first arrest of the nurse occurred in July 2018 on suspicion of murder. She was tied to the deaths of eight babies and attempted murder of another six infants. Authorities had been investigating the deaths of 17 babies and another 16 “nonfatal collapses.”
Letby was freed from jail in July 2018, and the authorities searched her residence. She was a student nurse at the neonatal unit during the years of training and continued to work at the hospital after graduating.
Jordan Sands was a friend of hers at the time, and he said: “she was quite awkward and geeky but seemed like a kindhearted person.” Another called Letby “an amazing person.”