Letby 'offered tips on getting away with murder'

Lucy Letby told a workfellow she could connection her "tips" connected however to get distant with murder, the nationalist enquiry into her crimes has heard.

Letby murdered 7 babies and attempted to termination 7 others astatine the Countess of Chester Hospital betwixt June 2015 and June 2016.

Union typical Hayley Griffiths became friends with Letby erstwhile the caregiver was moved disconnected the neonatal portion and fixed bureau duties successful 2016 aft doctors raised concerns that she mightiness person been harming babies.

A missive which Letby's parents sent to infirmary bosses claiming she was being scapegoated for failings astatine the infirmary was besides work to the inquiry.

The Thirlwall Inquiry astatine Liverpool Town Hall heard Letby and Ms Griffiths discussed the tv drama, How to Get Away with Murder, successful aboriginal 2017.

The WhatsApp speech took spot a twelvemonth aft the serial slayer was moved to clerical duties but a twelvemonth earlier she was archetypal arrested.

The enquiry heard Ms Griffiths told Letby: "I’m presently watching a programme called however to get distant with murder. I’m learning immoderate bully tips."

Letby replied: "I could person fixed you immoderate tips x"

The enquiry heard Ms Griffiths went on: "I request idiosyncratic to signifier connected to spot if I tin get distant with it."

Letby said: "I tin deliberation of 2 radical you could signifier connected and volition assistance you screen it up x."

In different exchange, Letby texted Ms Griffiths astir gifts which were sent to the bureau she worked in.

She wrote: "Flowers and fizz for me? How kind.".

Griffiths replied: "You’re worthy it my beauteous transgression mastermind."

The brace were moving astatine the clip successful the hospital’s hazard and diligent information section wherever Ms Griffiths said "quite a batch of us" became friends with Letby.

Ms Griffiths said she had been alert of the concerns astir the deaths and unexpected collapses of babies and a nexus to Letby since September 2016.

Shahram Sharghy, representing immoderate of the families of Letby’s victims, asked whether she was "making light" of "most serious" accusations - which Ms Griffiths denied.

Mr Sharghy said: "Can you adjacent statesman to ideate and enactment yourself successful the presumption of the families of the babies who were harmed erstwhile they spot those messages?"

Ms Griffiths said: "I cognize … I americium truthful remorseful."

Earlier, the witnesser told counsel to the inquiry, Rachel Langdale KC: "I genuinely and profoundly regret having started that conservation… this is wholly unprofessional, mediocre judgement connected my behalf and wholly insensitive.

"And for that, I tin lone apologise from the bottommost of my heart."

The enquiry was besides shown a missive that Letby’s parents - John and Susan Letby - sent to spot executives pursuing the result of a grievance ailment that Letby submitted implicit her removal from the neonatal unit.

The grievance was upheld successful her favour and aboriginal led to infirmary bosses demanding that the consultants apologise to her.

The Letbys wrote they were were "shocked to the core" erstwhile they archetypal work the "sickening allegations" against their daughter.

"Our girl has been to hellhole and backmost since July," they wrote.

"Can you ideate what it is similar to cognize that colleagues are calling you a murderer?

“She has often said to america during the past 4 months, 'I wouldn’t wounded thing fto unsocial a tiny baby'."

The missive added: "It has breached our hearts particularly arsenic we unrecorded a 100 miles distant and we are truthful arrogant of however Lucy has conducted herself and endured this nightmare.

"I person often said to Lucy, 'how bash you support going', and she says rather simply 'because I haven’t done thing wrong'."

Letby's parents said they feared for her wellness and could spot she was "suffering inside".

They wrote: "When immoderate organisation is successful occupation it is the idiosyncratic astatine the apical who is taken to task, not the idiosyncratic astatine the bottom."

They said that they believed the consultants had a "personal grudge" against Letby, which they were "at a loss" to understand.

“The overlying question that has kept america awake since the time this each started and no-one has travel up with an reply is, 'why Lucy?'," they added.

Letby is serving 15 full beingness sentences aft a assemblage convicted her of 7 counts of execution and 8 of attempted murder, including 2 attempts against the aforesaid baby.

The enquiry continues.

Additional reporting by the Press Association.