Letby trial told 'active babies' can dislodge tubes

Lucy Letby denies a single count of attempted murder

Babies that are "active" are capable of dislodging their own breathing tubes, a nurse has told a court at the trial of killer nurse Lucy Letby.

Letby is accused of the attempted murder of a newborn infant, know as Baby K, by displacing her breathing tube while working a night shift at the Countess of Chester Hospital's neo-natal unit.

The court heard how the 34-year-old, who denies the charge, was alleged to have been found by a consultant standing over the premature infant's incubator when her condition suddenly deteriorated on 17 February 2016.

Joanne Williams, Baby K's designated nurse, told Manchester Crown Court, she had temporarily left Letby and others at the unit that evening to speak to Baby K's parents.

The Lucy Letby retrial heard how babies can dislodge their own breathing tubes

It is alleged Letby struck when Ms Williams went to update Baby K's parents on the labour ward about the wellbeing of their child and a pending transfer to a specialist hospital because of her extreme prematurity.

Baby K was born less than two hours earlier at 2.12am on February 17 2016 at 25 weeks' gestation, weighing 1lb 8oz (692g).

Consultant paediatrician Dr Ravi Jayaram previously told the court Letby did nothing to intervene as he entered the unit's intensive care room.

He saw Baby K's blood oxygen levels dipping on the monitor screens but no alarms were going off as they should have done.

The infant was later transferred to Wirral's Arrowe Park Hospital later on February 17 and died there three days later although the prosecution does not allege Letby caused her death.

Night shift

The court heard Ms Williams and three other registered nurses, including Letby, were working at the unit that night.

Ms Williams said she could not remember asking a specific colleague to watch Baby K, also referred to in court as Child K, when she left to speak to infant's parents at about 03:30 GMT.

Prosecutor Nick Johnson KC asked: "What condition was [Child K] in when you left at whatever time it was?"

Ms Williams said: "She would have been stable to the point at what was acceptable for a 25-weeker baby...otherwise I would not have left."

The nurse told the court she would have been "very conscious" to come quickly back to Baby K and to support the rest of the nursing staff and babies on the unit.

Door swipe data shows she re-entered the unit at 03:47 GMT and could hear alarms going off in nursery one, the intensive care room.

She said she remembered seeing Letby and consultant paediatrician Dr Jayaram, but does not remember what they were doing.

Ms Williams' notes from the night queried whether the breathing tube had been dislodged.

She told the court "certain" babes who were "active" could dislodge their tubes, adding she remembered that Baby K was active.

Ms Williams added she had "not very much" experience at that time in dealing with babies of 25 weeks' gestation.

The retrial continues.