August 21st 2023.
Today marks a devastating day for the families of seven babies who were murdered by serial killer nurse Lucy Letby. She is expected to be sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of a whole-life order handed down by Judge Mr. Justice Goss in Manchester Crown Court. This will mean she will spend the rest of her life behind bars.
Letby joins a group of twisted child killers, including the notorious Moors Murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, and the Angel of Death paediatric nurse Beverley Allitt. She has been placed on 24-hour suicide watch since being found guilty last week.
Whole-life orders are the most severe punishment available in the UK criminal justice system, for those who commit the most serious crimes. Letby has indicated she doesn't intend to attend the sentencing hearing, and the court has no power to force her to. However, a Government source suggested ‘lawful enforcement’ could be used as a last resort if it is considered necessary, reasonable and proportionate.
Former Justice Secretary Robert Buckland also called for the sentencing to be played into Letby's cell if she does not attend, regardless of her wishes. He believes the victim statements from the families of the babies she murdered should be heard, in order to bring home the enormity of her crimes to the wider world.
The Conservative chairman of the Health Select Committee has meanwhile called for a judge-led statutory inquiry to examine Letby's crimes. Police have also been urged to investigate hospital bosses for potential corporate manslaughter. Consultants who raised concerns about Letby as far back as 2015 have said babies could have been saved if hospital management had acted sooner.
Letby was arrested in 2018 at her semi-detached home in Westbourne Road, Chester. During searches of her address, a number of closely written notes were discovered, one of which read ‘I killed them on purpose because I'm not good enough to care for them’. The prosecution's lead medical expert described her as the ‘constant malevolent presence’ when the babies collapsed.
Under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, the Government has expanded the use of whole-life orders for premeditated murder of a child. So far, only three women have previously been handed a whole-life order - Myra Hindley, Rose West, and Joanna Dennehy. Letby, 33, could become the fourth.
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