Nurse Lucy Letby is due to be sentenced later after being found guilty of murdering seven babies, making her the UK's most prolific child serial killer in modern times. The 33-year-old was also convicted of attempting to kill six other infants at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
The trial lasted more than 10 months and is believed to be the longest murder trial in the UK. Letby's legal team said she does not want to follow proceedings via videolink from prison; the reasons for her non-attendance at Manchester Crown Court have not been disclosed.
If Letby fails to appear, she will not hear the families' victim impact statements or the judge's sentencing remarks. Letby deliberately injected babies with air, force-fed others milk, and poisoned two infants with insulin between June 2015 and June 2016. She refused to appear in the dock as the latest verdicts were read out on Friday.
The refusal to attend court has renewed calls for a new law to compel convicted criminals to attend sentencing hearings. Former prison governor Prof Ian Acheson said judges should have the power to compel criminals into the courtroom. The government has said it is committed to introducing legislation to ensure criminals appear for sentencing.
Families of victims said they will 'forever be grateful' to jurors who sat through 145 days of evidence. Letby was found not guilty of two attempted murder charges, and the jury was undecided on further charges relating to four babies. The prosecution has asked for 28 days to consider whether to seek a retrial on the remaining six counts.
The government has ordered an independent inquiry into the circumstances behind the baby murders. Letby was convicted following a two-year investigation by Cheshire Police into the unexplained rise in deaths and collapses of premature babies at the hospital.
