Lucy Letby sentenced to life in prison for murdering seven babies
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Lucy Letby has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of the murders of seven babies and the attempted murder of six others.
The 33-year-old's trial at Manchester Crown Court concluded on 18 August with the jury giving their decisions, though there are six further cases upon which they failed to reach a verdict.
Today (21 August) Mr Justice Goss told the 33-year-old there was 'premeditation, calculation and cunning in your actions' as he handed down a whole-life order at Manchester Crown Court.
Addressing the nurse, he said: “You acted in a way that was completely contrary to the normal human instincts of nurturing and caring for babies and in gross breach of the trust that all citizens place in those who work in the medical and caring professions.
“The babies you harmed were born prematurely and some were at risk of not surviving but in each case you deliberately harmed them, intending to kill them.”
Letby was not there in person to attend her sentencing, having previously indicated to the court that she did not intend to return to the dock, take part in her sentencing hearing or follow proceedings via video link from prison.
The judge told Letby she would be provided copies of his remarks and the personal statements of the families of her victims.
Letby's last appearance in the courtroom was on 16 August, she had been taken from prison to court but would not come up from the cells.
Justice secretary Alex Chalk said that the government was 'committed' to changing the law so that those found guilty would be compelled to attend sentencing.
Former justice secretary Robert Buckland argued that sentencing should be played in Letby's cell regardless of her wishes, and that she should have to listen to statements from the families of the victims.
Judges have the powers to order a defendant to come to court before verdicts are delivered but they cannot do so for sentencing, plans for a change in the law are due to come as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Letby's sentencing concludes the trial which began in October last year and featured 22 days of deliberation from jurors which took a total of 110 hours and 26 minutes.
Prosecutor Nicholas Johnson KC told the court that there was a 'very, very clear case' for a whole life sentence to be imposed on Letby.
He said that her murders involved elements of 'sadistic conduct', were premeditated and were targeted at children making her qualify for such a sentence.
Whole life orders are the strictest punishment the UK criminal justice system can hand out, with the sentenced never being allowed to be released, nor ever considered for release.
That particular sentence has only ever been handed down to a select few criminals, and Letby's crimes have made her the most prolific child serial serial killer in modern British history.
Topics: Crime, UK News, Lucy Letby
Joe Harker