Lucy Letby trial: Nurse accused of murdering seven infants denies getting a ‘thrill’ from photographing sympathy card

A nurse accused of murdering seven infants has denied she obtained a “thrill” from photographing a sympathy card she despatched to the mother and father of a child woman she allegedly killed.

Lucy Letby took the photograph on the place the place Child I died on the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neo-natal unit in October 2015, the court docket heard.

The 33-year-old is accused of killing her on the fourth try.

Letby has denied all seven homicide allegations in addition to the tried homicide of 10 different infants on the hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.

During an evening shift on the unit Letby had captured {a photograph} on her telephone of a sympathy card she wrote to be handed to colleagues attending the kid’s funeral, Manchester Crown Court heard.

Cross-examining her on Thursday, prosecutor Nick Johnson KC mentioned: “You took a picture of a card, addressed to the parents of a child who had died in dreadful circumstances, at the place where she died.”

Letby mentioned: “The place is insignificant. My usual behaviour is to photograph things that I send or receive.”

Mr Johnson requested: “Did it give you a bit of a thrill to photograph it at the place where this poor unfortunate child died?”

Letby replied: “Absolutely not.”

Letby was additionally requested about Child A – a child boy who died on 8 June 2015 after air was injected into his bloodstream.

Mr Johnson advised the court docket a medical overview discovered an air bubble in his mind and lungs.

“Did you inject Child A with that?” Letby was requested.

“No,” she replied.

The prosecutor additionally requested Letby if she needed to go straight again to the a part of the unit the place Child A was cared for after his dying.

She mentioned she did as a result of from her expertise at Liverpool Women’s Hospital she discovered “if you’ve lost a baby in a certain cot space you go back… so you can move on from that first experience”.

Read extra from the Lucy Letby trial
Letby denies only crying for herself in court
Nurse tells court of ‘shock’ of death of child in her care
Letby wrote note saying ‘I’m evil, I did this’

The jury additionally heard how following her arrest a complete of 257 shift handover sheets – some together with the names of infants she allegedly harmed – had been discovered at her then house in Chester and her mother and father’ handle in Hereford.

One sheet discovered “in pristine condition” at her handle in Westbourne Road, Chester, was dated 1 June 2010 – her first day of labor as a scholar on the neonatal unit.

Letby has advised the jury the handover sheets “inadvertently” got here house along with her in her uniform pocket.

Police discovered 31 handover sheets in a Morrisons bag – her work bag – below her mattress.

Mr Johnson accused Letby of not telling the reality when she mentioned she couldn’t keep in mind why she put them within the bag,

A blood gasoline studying of Child M, a child boy who Letby allegedly tried to homicide, was additionally found in police searches.

Mr Johnson reminded Letby {that a} nursing colleague who took the measurement had advised the court docket she would have disposed of the printout within the unit’s confidential waste bin.

The prosecutor requested: “When did you fish it out of the bin?”

Letby mentioned: “I never fished anything out of the confidential bin.”

Mr Johnson mentioned: “How did you get it?”

Letby mentioned: “I can’t recall specifically.”

Mr Johnson mentioned: “It was for your little collection, wasn’t it Lucy Letby?”

“No,” Letby replied.

The nurse additionally admitted typically visiting the unit at evening whereas not working a shift.

She mentioned this was to fill in paperwork or converse to colleagues and the night-time visits had been on account of her shift patterns.

Mr Johnson mentioned: “So there’s occasions you have been on the unit and no trace?”

Letby mentioned her swipe card used for entry would have been recorded.

Mr Johnson mentioned she had been on the unit on a break day when Child G, a child woman who she allegedly tried to homicide, was critically ailing.

The prosecutor mentioned: “You had been having a look at her, hadn’t you? Why are you looking at this child?”

Letby mentioned she was “checking on her” because the paperwork she had come again to finish associated to that child.

Mr Johnson continued: “There’s no record of you going into the unit from the swipe data. You would not need a pass to get in. You could ring the buzzer and walk in. People trusted you.”

Letby replied: “To go to the unit at night, you have to have a reason to go. It was quieter at night.”

The trial continues on Friday.