Being accused of babies' murders was devastating, says nurse
Read more: What has prosecution said about the alleged attacks on babies? Warning: This page may contain description of newborn and infant deaths which readers may find distressing. Find support from BBC Action Line.
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Edited by Dulcie Lee and Emma Owen
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Today's court session has ended, so we're finishing up too. You can read an article pulling all today's evidence together, here.
And of course, BBC News will continue following the trial and you can find the latest reports on our site as ever.
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What we heard from court today
Dan O'Donoghue
Reporting from court
Seven months on from the start of her trial at Manchester Crown Court, Lucy Letby entered the witness box to give evidence.
The 33-year-old began the day by telling the jury she had "always wanted to work with children" and had been traumatised by her arrest.
Fighting back tears at times, she said she was “devastated” when she was removed from clinical duties in July 2016.
"I just could not believe it. It was devastating. I don’t think you could be accused of anything worse than that", she said.
Her defence laywer, Ben Myers KC asked her: “If you think back to when you were a young woman, you were 25, 26, before you were being blamed for what happened, are you the same person?”
Letby replied: “Everything has completely changed. Everything about me and my life, the hopes I had for the future, everything has gone.
“There were times when I did not want to live. I thought of killing myself.”
Myers said: “Had you done anything wrong?”
Letby replied: “No.”
During the course of the day, Ms Letby was asked about various notes found in her home in police searches.
On one note she had written "I am evil, I did this".
Explaining why, she said: “Because I felt at the time I had done something wrong and I thought, I’m such an awful, evil person, that I had made mistakes and not known.”
Letby was also asked about Facebook searches she had carried out, some of which were for parents of babies in this case.
Myers asked if there was "any sinister reason" why she would look at the parents of children in this case, she said out of "general curiosity, same as the reason I'm looking at a lot of people".
Letby was flanked by two female prison officers as she gave evidence.
Several rows behind, her parents, John Letby, 76, and Susan Letby, 62, looked on, as did family members of the alleged victims on the other side of the public gallery.
Court finishes for the day - but the trial continues
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
Court has finished for the day.
There is no court for the next two days.
Lucy Letby will resume giving her evidence on Friday.
I wanted to do my best for the babies - Letby
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
The court's now hearing some final short exchanges between Letby and her defence barrister, Ben Myers KC.
Myers: "Let me ask you now, have you ever tried to kill a baby you've cared for?"
Letby: "No."
Myers: "Have you ever tried to harm a baby?"
Letby: "No, never."
Myers: "Have you ever tried to force air down a nasogastric tube?"
Letby: "No."
Myers: "Have you ever overfed a baby?"
Letby: "No, never."
Myers: "Have you ever used insulin with the intention of harming a baby?"
Letby: "No."
Myers: "Have you ever physically assaulted a baby?"
Letby: "No."
Myers: "What have you wanted to do for the babies?"
Letby: "Care for them, do my best for them. Help them."
Letby interviewed by police for 21 hours - defence lawyer
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
Myers asks Letby whether it is easy to remember the events of seven or eight years ago.
Letby replies: "No, there are some things I do have a clear memory of, some where I remember parts, and others where I don't have any memory at all. My memory has deteriorated over time."
Myers continues to ask Letby when she was interviewed by the police had she ever experienced anything like that before?
"No," Letby answers.
Myers then says Letby was interviewed by police for a total of 21 hours - over a total of three arrests in 2018, 2019, and 2020.
Letby asked about 257 nursing handover sheets in her house
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
Myers tells the court that 257 nursing "handover" sheets were found at Lucy Letby's house after her arrest, some of which relate to children in this case.
Letby says: "I really didn't know I had that many."
She's then asked: "When did you first realise the police were involved?"
She says it was towards the end of 2016.
Asked if it then crossed her mind to shred the handover notes, Letby says it didn't.
Letby asked why she wrote 'I want to die'
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
On the A4 note it says: "I don’t know if I killed them. Maybe I did. Maybe this is all down to me."
Myers asks: "Why did you write something like that?"
Letby responds: "Because that’s how I was feeling at that time".
Asked why it's crossed out, Letby says: "That’s just something I’d do."
"How did it make you feel, wondering if you’d killed them?" Myers asks.
Letby says: "I hated myself."
"The allegation is that you intended to hurt these babies. Did you do anything intending to hurt anyone?" Myers asks.
"No, never," she says.
Myers asks: "How easy was it to control your thoughts?"
"It's not, they’re very random and sporadic, as they came to my mind that’s how they’d be written down," Letby replies.
Myers then says the phrase "I want to die" is written on the note. "Is that how you felt?" he asks.
Letby says "yes", and when asked why, she says: "I couldn’t see that my life would be the same again."
Jury shown another handwritten note
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
The jury is looking at a note which Lucy Letby has written, which we - the media - have not been given.
It has black handwriting on white. The writing is tightly packed over a whole sheet of A4. There's barely any spare room. The writing is laid out in all directions.
Words include "Bombay" (the name of Letby's pub quiz team), the names of her friends, and a teacher from high school she's still friends with.
Post update
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
The court has resumed.
How to find support
This is a distressing case so if you, or someone you know, need help after reading about it, the details of organisations offering assistance can be found on the BBC Action Line website.
A recap of the latest evidence
Dan O'Donoghue
Reporting from court
Lucy Letby started off after lunch explaining how it was "normal" for her to carry out Facebook searches for various people she had met, from colleagues to parents of children on the unit.
The court heard in September 2015 she carried out 209 searches for people, 173 in October that year and 277 in November.
Her defence lawyer, Ben Myers KC, asked if there was "any sinister reason" why she would look at the parents of children in this case. She said out of "general curiosity, same as the reason I'm looking at a lot of people".
Letby later broke down in tears as the jury were shown images of her former home in Chester.
A noticeboard in her kitchen was covered in photos and letters.
One in child's writing said: "No. 1 Godmother Awarded to Lucy Letby". One image was of a cupboard in her living room, which contained various folders for documents.
Fighting tears, Letby explained that in one folder was medical documents for her two cats, named Tigger and Smudge.
Myers went on to ask Letby about various notes found in her home.
She said she wrote the notes, which were written after she became aware of the allegations against her, as a "way of processing my thoughts".
Letby said she was "distraught" when she wrote the notes.
Asked what it was like to have the finger pointed at her for the baby deaths and collapses, she said: "I don’t think you can really put it into words, it was devastating and it changed my whole life."
Jurors were also shown Letby's diary. She explained that she would note most events down, from a bed and washing machine delivery, to drinks with friends and whether she was working a "long day" shift.
Asked why the names of babies are mentioned, she said “for my own reflection”.
Court taking a quick break
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
The court is now on a 15 minute break.
Letby questioned over diary entry
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
The court is now looking through Letby's diary, full of detail about her social life, such as salsa, hen weekend, details of moving house, and also her notes of the shifts she was doing at work.
She wrote "twins resus" on 9 April 2016 - referring to two of the babies in the case.
"Why did you note the names of babies in your diary?" Myers asks.
Letby responds: "For my own reflection.”
Being accused was devastating, Letby says
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
Myers asks Letby how hard she had to work "to look after the babies in your care".
She replies: "I only ever did my best."
Asked what it felt like being accused, Letby says: "I don’t think you can really put it into words. It was just devastating and it changed my whole life."
Next Letby's asked about a note covered in red and black writing. She's written "bastards" on it. She's asked whether she normally swore, to which she says: "That’s not language I would use."
"Why did you use it here?" Myers asks, and Letby says: "That’s how I felt about people who were accusing me."
Asked who she's referring to, she says: "Ravi Jayaram and Steve Brearey [hospital consultants]."
"Why did you think that about them?" the defence barrister asks, to which Letby says: "Because of the things they’d been saying about me".
Notes are a way of processing things I wouldn't say to anybody else - Letby
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
Letby accepts that the handwritten notes which have been shown to the court were found in her handbag at home.
She says: "It was my way of processing things I wouldn't say to anybody else."
We are now looking at images of other handwritten notes which were found in Letby's handbag.
Regarding the yellow note, Letby is asked: "It has the names of the triplets (including babies O and P). Why?"
She answers: "I was thinking of them at that time
Myers continues: "Was the deaths of the babies something that would have an impact on you?"
"Yes," Letby replies quietly.
Still on the yellow note, and the fact she'd written about the triplet babies, Letby is asked why she had written "today is your birthday, but you aren’t here, and I’m so sorry for that". Myers asks what made her sorry.
She replies: "I think this was on their anniversary and I was thinking of them."
Letby cries as she's shown photos of her bedroom
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
The court now sees a photo of the same room - Lucy Letby's bedroom - immediately after she was arrested and the police had been in. Everything is in disarray.
Letby is crying as she sees the photos of her room.
She is asked for the names of her two cats. She is crying as she replies "Tigger and Smudge".
Letby had noticeboard covered in photos and letters, court hears
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
The court is being shown photos of Lucy Letby's house in Chester.
A neat back garden with climbing roses. A tidy sitting room with corner sofa, a cabinet full of trinkets, a noticeboard in the kitchen covered in photos and letters.
One in child's writing says: "No. 1 Godmother Awarded to Lucy Letby".
A thank you card written to "Auntie Lucy" from her godchildren, after Christmas.
A young cousin in school uniform, a novelty card from the Hay Festival with a picture of her parents on it. A photo of nurse Letby in her work scrubs.
There's a photo of the upstairs landing of Letby's house. Photos of her young godchildren and cousin. Disney trinkets.
The court is shown a photo of her bedroom looking very tidy, with cuddly toys on the bed, including Winnie-the-Pooh and Eeyore.
The duvet cover reads "sweet dreams". The court is told it was straightened up and tidied by her dad, after she was arrested.
Letby says she searched for baby's mother 'out of general curiosity'
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
Letby is asked about a Facebook search she did for the mother of Baby I.
Myers asks: "Is there any sinister reason why you’re looking at her?"
"No it’s the same reason I looked at anyone," Letby replies. "Out of general curiosity."
Myers continues: "Were you a regular user of Facebook searches?"
Letby answers: "Yes."
The jury is then shown a document which shows that Lucy Letby conducted hundreds of Facebook searches between June 2015 - June 2016 (the period of the criminal charges) but the majority were not for the parents of babies at the neonatal unit.
Court sketch shows Letby being questioned
We've just had another sketch from Elizabeth Cook, who has been drawing the scene in the courtroom.
This one shows Lucy Letby being questioned by her defence lawyer Ben Myers KC in the witness box at Manchester Crown Court.
You can read more about why we can only get sketches - rather than photos - from courtrooms here.
Letby further quizzed on Facebook searches
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
Lucy Letby is back in the witness box. Her lead defence barrister Ben Myers KC is on his feet, standing across the courtroom from her. He's continuing his questions.
Continuing on from his line of questioning before lunch, Myers asks Letby about the searches she used to make on Facebook.
In September 2015 she made 209 searches for friends, colleagues, and also for the parents of babies who were on the neonatal unit.
She says: "It was just a normal pattern of behaviour. It's just what I would do."
Letby is speaking fairly quietly. She's asked to speak up.