Lucy Letby cut a pitiable figure as she gave evidence, clutching a fluffy purple comforter and dissolving into tears at any mention of her cats, Tigger and Smudge. The court saw a photograph of her childlike bedroom, complete with fairy lights and a 'sweet dreams' duvet. Yet that emotional display contrasted sharply with her expressionless demeanour as details of her alleged crimes were outlined.
Prosecutor Nicholas Johnson KC described Letby as a 'cold, calculated, cruel and relentless' killer, echoing the language used decades ago in the case of Myra Hindley. Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Evans, who spent six years analysing Letby, summed her up in one word: 'beige.' She added: 'There isn't anything outstanding or outrageous that we found out about her as a person.'
Letby lived alone in a three-bedroom semi-detached house in Chester, bought with help from her parents. She decorated it with chintzy wall art, cuddly toys and notes, and kept a fastidious diary with work shifts in blue ink and social engagements in pink. She went to the gym, attended salsa classes and described her social life as 'quite active,' but her existence appeared to revolve around her job at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
No complaints had been made to the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and she was once chosen as the face of a fundraising campaign for a new neonatal unit. A senior colleague said: 'She didn't stand out as a particularly bad nurse, she didn't stand out as a particularly good nurse, excelling in anything.' Hospital neonatal unit manager Eirian Powell was among the first to notice that Letby was on duty when babies became unwell.
