A jury has been told to disregard Lucy Letby’s convictions for murdering babies when they decide whether she is guilty of trying to kill another infant.
Letby, 34, is due to go on trial on Wednesday accused of attempting to murder the child, known as Baby K, in February 2016.
The jury in Letby’s original trial at Manchester crown court was unable to reach a verdict on that charge last year.
Judge James Goss KC told jurors on Tuesday that Letby was convicted almost a year ago of having murdered “a number of babies” and of attempting to murder a number of other infants.
He said: “Your task is to try to determine on all the evidence placed before you and on nothing else whether she attempted to murder another baby known as [Baby K] during the period when she murdered or attempted to murder other babies.”
Letby sat beside three security officers in the glass-enclosed dock at Manchester crown court as the judge addressed jurors.
The court clerk told the jury that Letby had pleaded not guilty to attempting to murder Baby K on 17 February 2016.
Goss said the trial would get under way properly on Thursday when the prosecution opens its case against Letby.
The judge told jurors it was “highly likely” they would know something about the case but said they must judge it only on the evidence before them “and not what you may have heard in any media reports”.
Goss said the 12 jurors were the “sole judges of the facts”. He added: “Anyone accused of a crime is innocent until proven guilty. It is for the prosecution to prove guilt by making you sure of a person’s guilt.
“You know that the defendant his already been tried by another jury. You are to try the defendant in this case on a charge of attempted murder upon which that jury could not agree and were discharged from reaching a verdict.
“I repeat it will be for you to decide on the evidence placed before you whether the defendant is guilty or not.”
