Former nurse Lucy Letby’s status as a multiple murderer and attempted murderer of babies is an “important piece of the evidence” when deciding if she tried to kill another infant, a jury has been told.
Letby, 34, is on trial at Manchester Crown Court charged with a single offence of the attempted murder of a baby girl, Child K.
Last summer, the defendant was convicted after a “very long trial” of seven murders and seven attempted murders relating to six other children, the court heard, while she worked as a nurse at the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Opening the case on Wednesday, prosecutor Nick Johnson KC told jurors: “Those other cases that I have mentioned do have an importance in this case because, we suggest, it’s not because you should convict her because of what she’s done in other cases, but what we are asserting is the relevance that it gives you significant evidence of what her intention was at the time. We say, we allege, she did things, or something to (Child K).
“Putting it in a nutshell, we are saying that her status as a multiple murderer and attempted murderer is an important piece of the evidence that you can, if you wish, take into account when you are considering whether we have made you sure that she attempted to murder (Child K).”
Jurors in the previous trial failed to reach a verdict regarding the allegation.
Letby, of Hereford, watched on from the dock as the opening statement was delivered.
She denies that she attempted to murder Child K on February 17 2016.
Before February 17 2016, Mr Johnson said Letby had already murdered five children and attempted to murder three others – including two attempts on one baby girl – on various dates between June 2015 and October 2015.
After February 17 she went on to attempt to murder twin boys in April 2016, attempted to murder another boy in June 2016, and murdered two triplet boys later that month, said Mr Johnson.