Lucy Letby's Handwritten Notes Presented as Confessional Evidence in Court
The chilling handwritten notes of convicted killer nurse Lucy Letby, which included repeated scrawls of the word "Murderer" and phrases like "I am a horrible evil person," have been revealed in a new Netflix documentary. These documents, discovered in a black bin bag at her home, became a central piece of evidence during her trial at Manchester Crown Court, where prosecutors argued they amounted to a form of confession.
Defence Claims Notes Were Therapeutic Exercise
Letby's defence team countered that the notes were part of a therapeutic writing exercise, recommended after she received counselling and support at the Countess of Chester Hospital. They asserted she was instructed to document her feelings and perceived faults as a form of psychological therapy to cope with mounting pressures.
In police interviews featured in the documentary titled The Investigation of Lucy Letby, the 36-year-old nurse explained her rationale behind the writings. "I just wrote it because everything had got on top of me," Letby stated. "It was when I found out I'd been removed from the unit. I felt like they were blaming my practice. That I might have hurt them without knowing through my practice and that made me feel guilty."
Contradictory Messages in the Documents
The notes contained conflicting messages that painted a complex psychological picture. Alongside admissions like "I did this" and "I killed them," Letby also wrote questions such as "Why me?" and declarations including "I haven't done anything wrong" and "Police investigation slander discrimination victimisation."
During her police interviews, Letby frequently responded with "no comment" to detectives' questions. However, when pressed specifically about the notes, she elaborated on her emotional state at the time. "I was blaming myself, but not because I'd done anything, because of the way people were making me feel," she explained. "I felt like I'd only done my best for those babies and then people were trying to say my practice wasn't good or I had done something, I just couldn't cope with it."
Letby's Description of Spiraling Circumstances
Letby described feeling overwhelmed by the situation, stating: "I did just not wanna be here anymore. I felt it was all spiralling out of control. I just didn't know how to feel about it or what was gonna happen or what to do. Just felt that the Trust and the team were trying to imply it was something I had done."
She further suggested that some consultants might have been attempting to shift blame onto her, adding: "It crossed my mind at times whether they were trying to put the blame on me for something somebody else had done." Letby expressed concern about potential police involvement and losing her nursing position, emphasizing "I loved my job."
Police Questioning and Evasive Responses
Detectives confronted Letby with direct questions about the incriminating nature of her writings. When asked "if you haven't been involved in the collapse and deaths of these babies why did you write a note that clearly states you are responsible, that you killed them on purpose?", she maintained her "no comment" response.
Investigators also discovered approximately 250 baby handover notes in Letby's residence, many pertaining to infants who had collapsed or died. When questioned about these documents, Letby appeared evasive in her responses. At another point in the interviews, police informed her that 887 babies had been treated at the neonatal unit since her departure, with none experiencing deaths or deteriorations. To this statistical revelation, she again replied "no comment."
Documentary Reveals Investigation Details
The Netflix documentary discloses that Letby initially offered cooperation with the police investigation, known as Operation Hummingbird. She emailed officers at Cheshire Police stating: "I am happy to be contacted if you wish to discuss anything." However, during subsequent interviews, the Hereford-native proved less forthcoming.
Letby, who is currently serving 15 whole-life orders after being convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others between June 2015 and June 2016, maintained her reserved stance throughout much of the questioning. She provided identical "no comment" responses when asked about being the only staff member on duty during all 25 incidents under investigation.
The documentary The Investigation of Lucy Letby premiered globally on Netflix on February 4, providing unprecedented insight into one of Britain's most disturbing healthcare criminal cases.
