Lucy Letby trial: Nurse thought 'not again' over baby collapse

A caregiver said she thought "not again" erstwhile a babe abruptly collapsed the time aft her duplicate member had died astatine a neonatal unit, jurors person heard.

Lucy Letby, 32, is connected proceedings accused of murdering 7 babies and attempting to execution 10 others astatine Countess of Chester Hospital successful 2015 and 2016.

Her nursing workfellow and "mentor" told Manchester Crown Court however Child B had go "ill precise quickly" and her abrupt deterioration was "unusual".

Ms Letby denies each 22 charges.

It is alleged caregiver Ms Letby injected aerial into the bloodstream of Child A, soon aft she came connected displacement connected 8 June 2015, conscionable implicit 24 hours aft his premature birth.

The Crown alleges she utilized the aforesaid method to onslaught his sister, Child B, connected the pursuing nighttime shift.

Paediatric advisor Dr Ravi Jayaram told the proceedings helium "couldn't explain" the series of events that led to Child A's death.

He said it was precise abrupt and did not "fit with immoderate illness process that I person seen, learned oregon work about", adding: "It didn't marque consciousness to me."

He and elder colleagues "began to rise concerns" to infirmary managers astir Ms Letby regularly being contiguous erstwhile the children successful this lawsuit fell ill, the tribunal heard.

He told the jury: "At that clip we were being told that we shouldn't beryllium saying specified things and not to marque a fuss.

"I didn't truly person immoderate hard evidence, but I privation I'd been much courageous astatine the time."

Ms Letby's nursing colleague, who cannot beryllium identified for ineligible reasons, recalled she was preparing medicines erstwhile the show alarm sounded astatine Child B's incubator.

The caregiver said Ms Letby was the archetypal to spell to the cot and she called her for help.

Asked astir Child B's appearance, she said: "She looked precise ill. She looked precise similar her member did the nighttime before.

"Pale, white, with this purple blotchy discolouration. It was each implicit her body.

"I conscionable retrieve reasoning 'not again' - to spot his sister with the aforesaid appearance."

A breathing conduit was inserted and Child B "started to stabilise rather quickly", said the witness, who was giving grounds screened from the nationalist assemblage and the defendant.

She said: "Child A's deterioration was precise abrupt and to an antithetic degree.

"Babies tin beryllium precise poorly rapidly but determination is usually immoderate denotation that is happening. We had nary undue concerns.

"To spell from that is precise antithetic and past Child B had been bully passim the evening for me... past she became sick precise quickly.

"She deteriorated precise rapidly and past this discolouration.

"You ne'er privation immoderate babe to die. You privation to assistance them spell location to their families. That's ever been my goal."

Child B recovered and was yet discharged a period later, the tribunal has heard.

The witnesser could not explicate why, erstwhile interviewed by constabulary successful 2018, she had not mentioned an antithetic discolouration successful Child A's appearance, but erstwhile aboriginal questioned astir Child B she said her discoloured tegument was akin to her brother.

She told Ben Myers KC, defending, that radical connected the portion were talking astatine the clip astir rashes but she was not influenced by thing anybody other said.

The caregiver told the assemblage she could not retrieve who administered intravenous fluids to Child A soon earlier his illness but accepted she told constabulary that different nursing workfellow had "pressed start" successful the process and Ms Letby had assisted with checks.

She said she acted arsenic "mentor" to Ms Letby, who archetypal came to the portion arsenic a trainee astir 2010/11 portion studying astatine the University of Chester.

They became "good friends", she said, arsenic Ms Letby went connected to articulation the portion aft she qualified.

Mr Myers said: "We cognize the allegations but your acquisition erstwhile moving with her was she was highly professional?"

"Yes," the witnesser replied.

Mr Myers said: "And dedicated to the enactment she was doing?"

"Yes," agreed the witness.