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Lucy Letby: Nurse denies baby murders at start of trial Lucy Letby trial told poisoner was at work at baby deaths hospital
(about 1 hour later)
Ms Letby, of Hereford, was working at the Countess of Chester Hospital's neonatal unit when the deaths happenedMs Letby, of Hereford, was working at the Countess of Chester Hospital's neonatal unit when the deaths happened
A nurse has pleaded not guilty to murdering seven babies and attempting to murder 10 others. A "poisoner was at work" at a hospital where there was a "significant rise" in the number of healthy babies dying, a court heard.
Lucy Letby, 32, denied a total of 22 charges at the start of her trial at Manchester Crown Court. Lucy Letby is accused of murdering five baby boys and two girls, and the attempted murder of a further 10 babies at Countess of Chester hospital.
The counts related to five boys' and two girls' deaths and alleged incidents involving five boys and five girls at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016. Nick Johnson KC, prosecuting, described her as a "constant malevolent presence" at the neonatal unit.
Ms Letby, of Hereford, worked at the hospital's neonatal unit at the time. Ms Letby, 32, of Hereford, denies 22 charges at Manchester Crown Court.
The court was told she had been charged with seven counts of murder and 15 of attempted murder. Opening the prosecution case, Nick Johnson KC said the Countess of Chester Hospital was a "busy general hospital" which included a neo-natal unit that cared for premature and sick babies.
"It is a hospital like so many others in the UK but unlike many other hospitals in the UK, and unlike many other neo-natal units in the UK, within the neo-natal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital a poisoner was at work," he said.
"Prior to January 2015, the statistics for the mortality of babies in the neo-natal unit at the Countess of Chester were comparable to other like units.
"However, over the next 18 months or so there was a significant rise in the number of babies who were dying and in the number of serious catastrophic collapses," he told the court.
Lucy Letby appeared in the dock at Manchester Crown Court
The rises were noticed by hospital consultants who "searched for a cause".
Mr Johnson added: "Having searched for a cause, which they were unable to find, the consultants noticed that the inexplicable collapses and deaths did have one common denominator.
"The presence of one of the neo-natal nurses and that nurse was Lucy Letby."
The collapses and deaths of all the 17 children concerned were not "naturally-occurring tragedies," Mr Johnson said.
"They were all the work, we say, of the woman in the dock, who we say was the constant malevolent presence when things took a turn for the worse for these 17 children."
The jury has been told the trial may last up to six months.The jury has been told the trial may last up to six months.
The case continues.The case continues.
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