A British neonatal nurse has been accused of killing seven babies and trying to kill 10 others. The trial of the nurse opened this week and started with British prosecutors accusing her of poisoning two infants with insulin.
Lucy Letby, 32, is the nurse in question who has been charged with murder in the deaths of five baby boys and two girls, as well as attempted murder for five boys and five girls. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to the BBC.
Letby was a nurse at Countess of Chester Hospital in northwest England between 2015 and 2016 when the murders are said to have happened.
One mother reportedly walked in on Letby as she was allegedly killing her baby, according to testimony given in court by the mother of the child, the BBC reported. The mother said she did not realize he was being attacked as Letby lied about why there was blood.
Letby is accused of murdering the mother's child and his twin the following day, according to the BBC.
Prosecutor Nick Johnson said during the opening of the trial that starting in 2015, the number of babies suffering "serious catastrophic collapses" or dying rose significantly at the hospital.
"Babies who had not been unstable at all suddenly deteriorated. Sometimes babies who had been sick, but then been on the mend suddenly deteriorated for no apparent reason," he told the jury.
After a cause for the increase in sudden deterioration could not be found, doctors contacted the police to conduct a review, which suggested that someone had poisoned two infant boys with insulin two days after their birth.
Johnson said the two boys had seen their blood sugar levels drop dangerously, but both survived after receiving care.
According to Johnson, Letby was working while both of the babies were poisoned. Prosecutors believe that she caused all 17 instances and said she was a "constant malevolent presence" in the neonatal unit.
The trial is nowhere near complete, as it could last up to six months, according to the BBC.
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