Lucy Letby: Taking baby to mortuary 'hardest thing I've done', trial hears

A caregiver accused of murdering aggregate babies said it was "the hardest happening I've ever had to do" erstwhile she took the assemblage of a newborn babe to a mortuary arsenic his begetter cried connected the floor.

Ms Letby has been charged with murdering 7 babies and attempting to execution 10 others astatine Countess of Chester Hospital successful 2015 and 2016.

On Tuesday, the assemblage heard she messaged a workfellow astir the decease of her archetypal alleged unfortunate successful June 2015.

Ms Letby, 32, denies 22 charges.

She is said to person murdered Child A connected the evening of 8 June by injecting aerial into his bloodstream. She past allegedly attempted to execution his duplicate sister, Child B, by the aforesaid method connected the pursuing nighttime shift.

At Manchester Crown Court the assemblage of 8 women and 4 men was shown a bid of messages the suspect exchanged with different unit members, on with enactment connected her societal media accounts.

Less than 2 hours aft she finished the displacement during which Child A died, she made a Facebook hunt for the child's mother, the tribunal heard.

Later connected 9 June, earlier her adjacent displacement started, she replied to a chap caregiver who asked: "Hi Lucy. Hope you are OK?"

Ms Letby, primitively of Hereford, responded: "I deliberation we each did everything we perchance could nether precise hard and bittersweet circumstances. Haven't had overmuch sleep. Don't truly privation to spot parents but it's got to beryllium done.

"I said to [another nurse] that I can't look aft [Child B] due to the fact that I conscionable don't cognize however I'm going to consciousness seeing parents.

"Dad was connected the level crying saying 'please don't instrumentality our babe away' erstwhile we took him to the mortuary. It's conscionable heart-breaking.

"It's the hardest happening I've ever had to do. Hopefully person a much affirmative 1 tonight."

Hours aboriginal Child B collapsed portion Ms Letby was connected duty, earlier the youngster aboriginal stabilised and was yet discharged the pursuing month, the tribunal was told.

A tribunal bid prohibits reporting of the identities of surviving and dormant children allegedly attacked by the defendant, and besides prohibits identifying parents oregon witnesses connected with the children.