'She was so nice': Couple who wanted Lucy Letby to be their baby's godmother now think she tried to kill him
25 August 2023, 14:10 | Updated: 25 August 2023, 14:21
A couple who wanted Lucy Letby to be their baby's godmother now think she tried to kill him.
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Letby, Britain's worst baby killer of modern times, will die in prison after being given a whole life sentence for her crimes on Monday. She was found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six more.
One couple, who were not involved in the case, have since opened up about their experience with the killer neonatal nurse, who looked after their child at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
They said they "came to think of her as a friend" as she supported them through the trauma of having a premature son, and stayed in contact with her once their child had been discharged.
But the thought of her caring for their child now made them feel "physically sick".
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For seven days after the couple's son was born they were not allowed to hold him, they told the Mail.
They said Letby stayed with them and helped calm their nerves during the stressful time.
The father said she had been so "nice" that they considered making her their boy's godmother.
But the parents also claimed that there were times when their baby had sudden dips in his health while Letby was looking after him.
"She was there day and night, we'd have long conversations with her, especially at night when it was quiet," the mother said.
"She'd talk about her house, she talked about her parents a lot, she really thought the world of them, her cats, going out with other nurses socialising… I came to think of her as a friend."
As a result, they never suspected she was connected to their son's decline in health.
Baby murderer Lucy Letby to spend rest of her life in jail for ‘evil’ crimes
They claimed that one day their baby had an unusual amount of blood in his nappy but doctors could not work out the reason behind it.
At a later date, their baby collapsed as Letby handed him over to night staff. They were able to help him recover.
Letby went on to keep in contact with the family after their son was discharged from hospital and checked in to see if he still needed help breathing.
"When he was in the hospital she couldn't do enough for us," the father said.
"She kept in contact, I thought she was taking a real interest in his life, so I thought, why not include her in his life?"
The mother said that she felt "physically sickened" after realising that Letby had been on a killing spree when she was caring for their son.
James O'Brien baffled by how Letby warnings were 'completely ignored'
Letby's murder and attempted murder spree came between June 2015 and 2016, at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Questions have been raised over how she got away with her crimes for so long, despite senior doctors voicing concerns.
Letby's presence when collapses took place was first mentioned to senior management by the unit's head consultant in late June 2015.
She was not removed from the unit until after the deaths of two triplet boys and the collapse of another baby boy on three successive days in June 2016.
