THE Crown Prosecution Service has commented following the conviction of serial baby nurse killer Lucy Letby on Friday, August 18.

Pascale Jones, senior crown prosecutor with the Complex Casework Unit of CPS Mersey Cheshire, said: "Lucy Letby was entrusted to protect some of the most vulnerable babies. Little did those working alongside her know that there was a murderer in their midst.

"She did her utmost to conceal her crimes, by varying the ways in which she repeatedly harmed babies in her care.

"She sought to deceive her colleagues and pass off the harm she caused as nothing more than a worsening of each baby’s existing vulnerability.

"In her hands, innocuous substances like air, milk, fluids - or medication like insulin - would become lethal. She perverted her learning and weaponised her craft to inflict harm, grief and death.

"Time and again, she harmed babies, in an environment which should have been safe for them and their families.

"Parents were exposed to her morbid curiosity and her fake compassion. Too many of them returned home to empty baby rooms. Many surviving children live with permanent consequences of her assaults upon their lives.

"Her attacks were a complete betrayal of the trust placed in her.

"My thoughts are with families of the victims who may never have closure, but who now have answers to questions which had troubled them for years.”

Jonathan Storer, chief crown prosecutor, CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said: “This is an utterly horrifying case. Like everyone who followed the trial, I have been appalled by Letby’s callous crimes.

“To the families of the victims - I hope your unimaginable suffering is eased in some way by the verdicts. Our thoughts remain with you.

“Our prosecution team and police investigators have my respect and gratitude. These convictions could not have happened without their dedication to securing justice.”

The CPS said, in a statement, there was key evidence in the prosecution case:

  • Medical records – these were crucial to establish the condition of the babies when they were attacked. When some babies recovered, the speed of their recovery was too sudden to be seen as a natural occurrence. Several medical documents featured falsified notes made by Letby to hide her involvement. She amended timings on several documents in an attempt to distance herself from incidents where babies had suddenly become severely unwell.
  • Text messages and social media activity – these were an important part of the case as they coincided with the attacks happening on the neonatal unit. They were dated and timed, sometimes they were similar to a live blogging of events. They also explained how Letby deceived her colleagues into believing that these inexplicable collapses were simply a natural worsening of children’s underlying conditions. They also revealed an intrusive curiosity about the parents of babies she had harmed.
  • Staff rotas – the CPS was able to show the jury that Letby was the one common denominator in the series of deaths and sudden collapses on the neonatal unit, and able to show the jury that many of the earlier incidents occurred overnight, but when Letby was put on to day shifts, the collapses and deaths began occurring in the day. The CPS able to corroborate this further using Letby’s personal diary in which she had noted her shift patterns.
  • Handwritten notes and diaries – many handwritten notes were discovered by police during their investigation. They included phrases such as: “I killed them on purpose because I’m not good enough to care for them”; “I am evil I did this”; and “today is your birthday and you are not here and I am so sorry for that”. The CPS said these notes gave an insight into her mindset following her attacks.