Lucy Letby: Parents asked for transfer before alleged poisoning, jury told

A mother and father asked for their son to be moved to another hospital just hours before he was allegedly poisoned with insulin by nurse Lucy Letby, her murder trial has heard.

Ms Letby is accused of attempting to kill the boy, referred to as Child F, at the Countess of Chester Hospital, in August 2015.

She is charged with murdering seven babies and attempting to murder 10 others between 2015 and 2016.

The 32-year-old denies 22 charges.

Ms Letby is alleged to have intentionally added insulin to Child F’s intravenous feed bag on a night shift, less than 24 hours after she allegedly murdered his twin brother, Child E, on the hospital’s neonatal unit.

The twins had been born prematurely and Ms Letby, originally of Hereford, cared for both boys, the jury has heard.

Jurors were shown nursing notes from one of Ms Letby’s colleagues, who cannot be named for legal reasons, which revealed Child F’s parents had made a request to move the boy to another hospital after the death of his brother.

The note stated: “Parents supported throughout the day by myself following the death of sibling.

“Parents would like to transfer…transport team unavailable today due to emergency. Sincere apologies given to parents.

“Provisionally booked for tomorrow morning.”

Asked about Child F’s condition on 4 August in the day, the nurse said he was “stable” and that there was “no sign of any issues”.

But shortly after midnight, Child F’s heart rate surged to over 200bmp and his blood sugars dropped, the trial heard.

Another former nursing colleague of Ms Letby, who also cannot be identified, told the court the infant “became quieter” and was “slightly jaundiced”.

The nurse observed that Child F had been “nice and stable” at the start of her shift, but in the hours between midnight and 01:00 BST on 5 August his heart and breathing rate “suddenly” rose to a “concerning level”.

Child F’s blood glucose only returned to a safe level after a decision was taken to administer extra sugar.

He went on to make a full recovery and was later discharged, the court heard.

A court order bans the reporting of the identities of the children allegedly attacked by Ms Letby, while identifying parents or witnesses connected with the children is also banned.

The trial continues.

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [email protected]