Lucy Letby trial: Babies died 'due to care failures and not murder'

The deaths of 7 babies astatine a infirmary were owed to "serial failures successful care" and not murder-accused caregiver Lucy Letby, her defence barrister has said.

Ms Letby shed tears arsenic Ben Myers KC said the lawsuit against her was "driven by a relentless presumption of guilt".

Ending his closing remarks, helium urged the assemblage to "apply a presumption of innocence" and find her not guilty.

He said determination was "no nonstop evidence" the 33-year-old had harmed anybody.

Ms Letby, primitively from Hereford, is charged with murdering 7 babies and attempting to execution 10 others astatine Countess of Chester Hospital betwixt 2015 and 2016.

The charges, each of which she denies, had relied upon "partisan and poorly reasoned adept evidence", Mr Myers said.

He said: "We accidental determination were unspeakable failings successful attraction connected that portion that person thing to bash with Lucy Letby.

"Between June 2015 and June 2016 the neonatal portion astatine the Countess of Chester took much babies than it would usually attraction for and took babies with greater attraction needs.

"In that aforesaid twelvemonth determination was an summation successful the fig of deaths and the types of collapses we're looking astatine successful this trial. Those 2 facts are connected, we would say."

Mr Myers said Ms Letby was a dedicated caregiver who cared for hundreds of babies.

"She abruptly didn't alteration her behaviour successful 2015," helium said.

"What changed was the babies connected the portion and the inability of this portion to cope."

Mr Myers said the grounds had shown "serial failures successful care" connected the portion but "nobody is going to travel present and admit that to you".

The barrister said the consultants who person accused Ms Letby "are not neutral" and were "deeply progressive successful what happens".

"We accidental astatine times they person said things deliberately to prejudice Ms Letby's position."

The barrister said overmuch of the prosecution's lawsuit rested connected the adept grounds of Dr Dewi Evans and Dr Sandie Bohin, which helium said had been "proven to beryllium partisan and directed towards supporting a mentation of guilt".

He continued: "I americium saying this connected [Ms Letby's] behalf, nary 1 other is going to accidental it.

"She was hardworking, profoundly committed, had a blessed life, loved her enactment and she was determination overmuch of the clip due to the fact that she was committed, due to the fact that she loved being a nurse."

He said Ms Letby was the unfortunate of a "system that wanted to apportion blasted erstwhile it failed".

Mr Myers invited the assemblage to "apply a presumption of innocence and not a presumption of guilt", adding: "If you bash that you volition scope the close verdicts, verdicts of not blameworthy and those are the verdicts we inquire you to return".