Serial killer nurse to spend life in jail

Nurse Lucy Letby was sentenced to life in prison on Monday for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others on a neonatal hospital ward, a conviction that made her the most prolific child serial killer in modern British history.

Justice Goss told Manchester Crown Court Letby had demonstrated "premeditation, calculation, and cunning" in her actions.

The judge said she "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 and caring professions".

Letby had shown "malevolence bordering on sadism", he added.

Letby intentionally administered air injections to babies, forcibly fed some with milk, and caused harm to two infants by giving them an overdose of insulin, the court heard.

Letby refused to appear for her sentencing and to hear victims' statements, prompting Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to confirm the United Kingdom government is planning to change the law to compel convicts to attend their sentencing.

The judge imposed a whole-life order for each offense Letby committed, meaning she will spend the rest of her life in prison except for very exceptional circumstances, reported Sky News. She is only the fourth woman in British history to be given such a sentence.

In a statement, Cheshire Police said the sentence "reflects the true scale and gravity" of Letby's "horrific crimes".

British media reported the court heard statements from victims' families in the morning, before the sentencing was delivered in the afternoon.

Reporting restrictions ban the identification of the victims or their families.

"You thought it was your right to play god with our children's lives," said the parents of twins attacked by Letby. One twin died and the other survived.

Another family told how their child's death had left a "gaping hole" in their lives.

One mother told Letby: "At least now there is no debate that, in your own words, you killed them on purpose. You are evil. You did this.

"Knowing now that his murderer was watching us throughout these traumatic hours is like something out of a horror story."

Other parents revealed children who survived Letby's attacks are now living with disabilities.

Another mother described Letby's refusal to attend sentencing as "one final act of wickedness from a coward".

One bereaved mother said she hated the fact that Letby was the last person to hold her baby son.

Another said: "I don't think we will ever get over the fact that our daughter was tortured till she had no fight left in her."

Earlier, prosecution lawyer Nicholas Johnson told the court Letby's offending was a "very, very clear case" for a whole-life tariff to be imposed.

He said the murders qualified on a number of grounds, including that they were premeditated and involved an element of "sadistic conduct".

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said the law must be changed to compel offenders to attend their sentencing.

In a social media post, he said: "Lucy Letby is not just a murderer but a coward, whose failure to face her victims' families, refusing to hear their impact statements and society's condemnation, is the final insult."