Families of Lucy Letby’s baby victims give emotional and harrowing impact statements during sentencing
The families of Lucy Letby’s tiny victims gave emotional and harrowing victim impact statements during her sentencing, in which they spoke of their lives being cruelly scarred by the actions of a nurse they had trusted but now branded as “evil”.
“You thought that you could enter our lives and turn it upside down, but you will never win. We hope you live a very long life and spend every single day suffering for what you have done. Maybe you thought by doing this you would be remembered for ever. But I want you to know my family will never think of you again. From this day you are nothing.”Letby was found guilty of murdering Child C by forcing air down a feeding tube and into the baby boy’s stomach.
“In the darkness of the days, weeks and months that followed [Child C’s] death, I would open his memory box. I would smell his familiar smell, I would touch his hand print. His hand and footprint were made into a pendant, I wore it round my neck. It made me feel closer to him. She added: “There is no sentence that will ever compare to the excruciating agony we have suffered as a consequence of your murder of our son. But at least now there is no debate – that, in your own words, you killed them on purpose. You are evil. You did this.”Letby was convicted of the murder of Child D after air was injected intravenously into the baby girl.
“Those lives were not yours to take and although I am torn with sadness, anger and unanswered questions, I cannot forgive you. There is no forgiving. Not now, not ever.” She had not only lost her daughter, but lost years of her life, she said: “I have had multiple therapies, panic attacks, dark thoughts plus many struggles to overcome. I used to cry every day, felt so empty, had a car accident and crashed into a wall”. She also had a nervous break down.
Of being told Letby had been arrested, she said: “We felt cheated, deceived, and utterly heartbroken once more. The emotional impact on our family was catastrophic. We felt a range of emotions: why did this happen to us? Guilt consumed me, thinking I was able to save [Child F] but couldn’t save [Child E ] because I followed the instructions to leave him with Lucy.”
“She has repeatedly disrespected my boy’s memory. Even in these final days of the trial she has tried to control things. The disrespect she has shown the families and the court show what type of person she is. We have attended court day in and day out, yet she decides she has had enough, and stays in her cell, just one final act of wickedness from a coward.”The Crown said Letby targeted Child G by overfeeding the baby girl with milk and pushing air down her feeding tube.
On the night [Child I] died, she said, things looked like they were improving, but then she collapsed. “I remember standing by the incubator with my hand on her foot because there was only room for us at the bottom. I was shaking, I couldn’t look at the monitors because I knew she was a lot worse than all the other times, I felt absolutely broken. When they handed [Child I ] to us we never wanted to let her go. We held her so tight.
In a statement read to the court, the twins’ father said: “I was first on the scene when [Child M ] had his collapse, and that image has been forever etched in my mind and this case has been going on for five-plus years. The stress and strain have been unbearable at times and my mental health has suffered as a consequence of this case.
The twins’ mother said: “Being involved in this case has taken its toll on our family and seeing my husband suffer throughout the last five years has been heart-breaking for me to witness. The woman outlined the impact on her family “all because of the evil actions of someone else”. She said: “This caused us massive trust issues which has remained with us to this day and I don’t think will ever leave us.”
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