A nurse accused of multiple baby murders said it was “the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do” when she took the body of a newborn baby to a mortuary as his father cried on the floor.
Lucy Letby, 32, messaged a colleague about the death of her first alleged victim at the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit in June 2015.
She is said to have murdered Child A on the evening of 8 June by injecting air into his bloodstream and then allegedly attempted to murder his twin sister, Child B, by the same method on the following night shift.
She is on trial at Manchester Crown Court accused of seven murders and the attempted murders of 10 others.
On Tuesday, the jury of eight women and four men was shown a series of messages the defendant exchanged with other staff members, along with activity on her social media accounts.
Less than two hours after she finished the shift during which Child A died she made a Facebook search for Child A’s mother, the court heard.
Later on 9 June, before her next shift started, she replied to a fellow nurse who asked: “Hi Lucy. Hope you are OK?”
Letby responded: “I think we all did everything we possibly could under very difficult and sad circumstances. Haven’t had much sleep. Don’t really want to see parents but it’s got to be done.
“I said to (another nurse) that I can’t look after (Child B) because I just don’t know how I’m going to feel seeing parents.
“Dad was on the floor crying saying ‘please don’t take our baby away’ when we took him to the mortuary. It’s just heartbreaking.
“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Hopefully have a more positive one tonight.”
Hours later Child B collapsed while Letby was on duty, before the youngster later stabilised and was eventually discharged the following month, the court was told.
Another online search for the twins’ mother was made on Letby’s Facebook account on the late evening of 10 June.
Two days later the defendant texted a nurse who had looked after Child A when he was born.
Letby wrote: “It was awful. He died very suddenly and unexpectedly just after handover.
“Waiting for post-mortem results. Hopefully they can get to the bottom of it.”
Her colleague replied: “It’s so terrible. You are not having a great run at the moment. Hopefully we will find out soon.”
Letby replied: “I was not supposed to be in either. I took pictures, hand and footprints etc. They are besides themselves worried that they will lose (Child B) too.”
The Crown say Letby went on to murder Child C on 14 June and Child D on 22 June 2015.
On 25 June, a third Facebook search for the twins’ mother was made by Letby.
Five days later Letby messaged a colleague to say that Child B had moved to a recovery room in the unit following her collapse earlier in the month.
Her colleague said: “There’s something odd about that night and the other three that went so suddenly.”
Letby asked: “What do you mean? Odd that we lost three and in different circumstances?”
The colleague replied: “Were they that different? Ignore me, I’m speculating.”
Letby said: “Well (Child C) was tiny, obviously compromised in utero. (Child D) septic. It’s (Child A) I can’t get my head round.”
A staff debrief into the death of Child A was held on 30 July, the court heard.
Letby is alleged to have murdered Child E on 4 August and then tried to kill his twin brother, Child F, the next day.
On 9 September, Letby again searched for Child A and B’s mother on Facebook.
Ten days later she asked a colleague about the twins’ parents.
The colleague said: “They seem good. (The father) seems to be a little less anxious. Loving having (Child B) home.”
Letby replied: “That’s great. She looks like (the mother).”
A court order prohibits reporting of the identities of surviving and dead children allegedly attacked by Letby, and also prohibits identifying parents or witnesses connected with the children.
Letby, originally from Hereford, denies all the offences which are said to have been committed between June 2015 and June 2016.
The trial was adjourned until Wednesday morning.
