An expert medical witness has denied 'reaching for things' to support allegations faced by nurse Lucy Letby, who is accused of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder 10 others at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Dr Dewi Evans, giving evidence at Manchester Crown Court, also branded as 'insulting' a suggestion by Ms Letby's barrister Ben Myers KC that he is not an independent witness. The trial continues.
On Tuesday, Dr Evans told jurors that he believed one of the alleged victims, Child C, died because of 'splinting of the diaphragm'. The prosecution alleges Ms Letby caused the baby's collapse and death on the neonatal unit night-shift of June 13, 2015, by injecting a fatal amount of air into his stomach via a nasogastric tube (NGT).
Cross-examining Dr Evans, Mr Myers said: 'If you really thought that splinting the diaphragm was a cause of death you would have stated that before today, wouldn't you?' Dr Evans replied that he had benefited from additional information since his earlier reports, which did not mention splinting as the cause of death.
Mr Myers accused Dr Evans of 'reaching for things to support the allegations rather than reflecting the facts'. Dr Evans responded: 'I'm completely independent. I have been giving evidence in court for a long time. I know about impartiality; I know about the rules. I'm not here for the prosecution. I'm not here for the defence. I'm here for the court.'
A court order bans reporting of the identities of the children allegedly attacked by Ms Letby, and identifying parents or witnesses connected with the children is also banned.
