Mum of baby murdered by Letby 'not taken seriously'

Lucy Letby was a nurse at the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital

A mother whose baby daughter was murdered by Lucy Letby said no-one took her seriously when she first considered going to police with her concerns.

Neonatal nurse Letby killed Baby D in June 2015 by injecting air into her bloodstream.

Baby D's mother, who also cannot be identified, was giving evidence at the public inquiry examining how Letby was able to murder seven babies and attempt to murder seven others at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

The mother felt she "was losing my mind" when asking questions about her baby's death, adding "it was clear [the hospital trust] were trying to hide things", including by not disclosing that a staff member had come under suspicion.

The inquiry, chaired by High Court judge Lady Justice Thirlwall in Liverpool, was told Baby D had been born in June 2015.

The hearing heard Baby D, who was born at 37 weeks, was taken to the neonatal unit and was making good progress.

But at 04:00 the next day, Baby D's parents were awoken by a nurse who told them to "get there now" since their daughter was "very poorly".

The mother told the inquiry a doctor was holding her daughter and battling in vain to save her.

Baby D was declared dead shortly afterwards.

"We were rushed out, the door closed," said Baby D's mother.

"It was just us crying, thinking 'What just happened?'"

Lucy Letby was first arrested at her home in Chester in 2018

She said Letby’s presence the day before her daughter’s death had made her feel uneasy.

"When I went to visit my daughter... she was just there in the room and she had no reason to be there," she told the inquiry.

"I told my husband to tell her to go.

"I felt uncomfortable. She was watching us."

Baby D's mother said Letby was also in the room when her daughter died.

While saying it had "stood out as odd", she said she did not know why.

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• Junior doctors called Lucy Letby 'Nurse Death'

• Mum lied to about son's Letby death probe - inquiry

After returning home, Baby D's mother started to research the circumstances of her daughter’s death and pushed for a full inquest.

She said she felt the trust were not being clear with her.

"They weren’t giving all the information," she said. "Nothing matched up. It was clear they were trying to hide things."

She said that at no point, despite multiple meetings with the hospital, did anyone mention Letby’s name, or even divulge that a member of staff was under suspicion.

Had she have known this information, she said she would have gone directly to police.

When she did first raise the idea of involving the police, she said no-one had taken her seriously.

She told the inquiry she had pushed for her daughter's case notes and started researching clinical guidelines.

'Can't give up'

The grieving mother said she felt others just did not understand why.

She said: "I think people just thought as I was grieving, I was trying to push my sadness on other avenues and I needed to just accept what had happened."

But she added: "I kept thinking – this is my daughter’s voice.

"I can’t give up."

Baby D's mother revealed that it was not until Letby’s trial eight years later that she was able to piece together what had happened, and that things started to make sense.

Lady Justice Thirlwall thanked her for giving evidence, and said it was clear she had never given up in her search for answers, despite great personal cost.

She added that the woman’s evidence left everyone listening in no doubt of her determination and persistence.

The judge said the mother's quest for information would make the task of the inquiry much easier.

Baby D’s mother said she trusted the public inquiry process, and only wanted the truth to emerge.