Van thought to contain Letby arrives at Manchester Crown Court
BBCCopyright: BBC
The van thought to be carrying Letby has arrived at Manchester Crown Court.
Even though Letby's legal team has indicated she won't be attending, it's understood that Letby has to be physically brought to court by the prison service so they're not responsible for her non attendance. But she may refuse to come up from the cells.
Law changes needed to ensure criminals face sentencing - minister
As we've been reporting, Letby is not expected to appear in court for her sentencing today.
The government's children's minister Claire Coutinho said offenders can get given extra custodial sentences if they do not attend their sentencing - "but it does look like we need to do more".
The government has said it's committed to bringing in legislation to force offenders to attend sentences, but Coutinho told BBC Breakfast "there's always a lot of things competing" in terms of priorities that governments have.
But she said it is important, as "that is the moment that victims have their time in court and those perpetrators can face that moment of justice". She told Sky News that the issue often arises when sentencing offenders likely to get whole life orders:
Quote Message: I'm not a justice minister, but I think one of the things that may be a challenge is if someone gets a life order, then extending custody by two years might not be enough of an incentive to make sure that people come. from Claire Coutinho Children's minister
I'm not a justice minister, but I think one of the things that may be a challenge is if someone gets a life order, then extending custody by two years might not be enough of an incentive to make sure that people come.
Will Letby turn up for her sentencing?
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media
Empty chairs in court after Letby failed to turn up for a few days last weekImage caption: Empty chairs in court after Letby failed to turn up for a few days last week
Lucy Letby has indicated she will not be in court for today's sentencing. And according to her legal team she also does not want to follow proceedings via a videolink from prison.
No reason has been given for why she does not want to attend Manchester Crown Court. During her 10-month trial, she appeared in the dock regularly - but she failed to turn up for a few days last week.
If Letby does fail to show up to the hearing, it means she won’t hear the families' victim impact statements - where people have a chance to tell the court about how a crime has affected them and those around them.
She will also not hear the judge, Mr Justice James Goss, give his sentencing remarks where he will explain the reasons for the length of the prison sentence handed down to her.
The case has led to fresh calls that criminals should be forced to attend their sentencing, with former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland calling for the sentencing to be played into Letby's cell if she does not attend. Earlier this year, the government said it was committed to introducing a new law to ensure offenders must attend their sentencings.
Key details of the case and a quick summary
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media
In case you’re not familiar with the case, Letby was accused of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill 10 others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.
The jury heard nine months of evidence, including claims Letby deliberately injected babies with air, force fed others milk and poisoned some with insulin.
Letby insisted she did not harm any of the babies and pointed to issues of poor hygiene and staffing levels in the hospital.
The prosecuting barrister said Letby had been on shift at the time when each baby collapsed.
He also included 11 other common themes, from unusual skin discolouration to the babies collapsing just after having been visited by parents.
BreakingEx-nursing boss at Letby hospital suspended
In the last few moments, NHS England has confirmed the woman who was director of nursing at the Countess of Chester Hospital when Lucy Letby carried out her crimes has been suspended.
Alison Kelly had been accused of failing to act when doctors raised concerns. Letby’s trial heard how warnings about the nurse’s behaviour were ignored by Alison Kelly and other senior managers.
She is currently director of nursing at Northern Care Alliance.
An NHS England spokesperson confirmed: "In light of information that has emerged during the trial of Lucy Letby, and the announcement of the independent inquiry, the Northern Care Alliance has suspended Alison Kelly.”
How the police caught Lucy Letby
Video content
Video caption: Lucy Letby: Watch moment police arrest nurseLucy Letby: Watch moment police arrest nurse
The investigation to catch Lucy Letby lasted six years - which culminated on Friday with the 33-year-old nurse being found guilty of murder.
"We had to go right back to the start, keeping an open mind and being careful not to draw any conclusions," said Det Supt Paul Hughes, the senior investigating officer who led the investigation
"The last thing we expected to find was a suspect responsible for these deaths and non-fatal collapses. It was a long, drawn-out process but no stone was left unturned. We had to do it right - not rush it.
"We had to deal with this as 17 separate investigations - we are normally used to dealing with one murder or attempted murder investigation at a time let alone something on this scale.
"What started out as a team of eight quickly increased and, at the height of the investigation, featured almost 70 officers and civilian staff working together.
"Turning up at the home of a family who have lost a baby, grieved for their loss and are trying to move on from that is difficult enough, but having to tell them that someone who was meant to be caring for their little one could ultimately be responsible for their death - is not an easy task.”
Good morning and welcome to our coverage ahead of the sentencing of nurse Lucy Letby.
On Friday, after a 10-month trial, Letby was found guilty of murdering seven babies, making her the UK's most prolific killer of babies in modern times.
Letby, 33, killed some of the infants by injecting them with air, some were force-fed milk and two were poisoned with insulin.
The murders happened between June 2015 and June 2016, when she was working at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Letby faced 22 charges in total and was also found guilty of trying to murder an additional six babies on the neonatal ward.
Stay with us for live updates as we build up to Letby's sentencing at Manchester Crown Court.
Live Reporting
Edited by Francesca Gillett and Rob Corp
All times stated are UK
Van thought to contain Letby arrives at Manchester Crown Court
The van thought to be carrying Letby has arrived at Manchester Crown Court.
Even though Letby's legal team has indicated she won't be attending, it's understood that Letby has to be physically brought to court by the prison service so they're not responsible for her non attendance. But she may refuse to come up from the cells.
Law changes needed to ensure criminals face sentencing - minister
As we've been reporting, Letby is not expected to appear in court for her sentencing today.
The government's children's minister Claire Coutinho said offenders can get given extra custodial sentences if they do not attend their sentencing - "but it does look like we need to do more".
The government has said it's committed to bringing in legislation to force offenders to attend sentences, but Coutinho told BBC Breakfast "there's always a lot of things competing" in terms of priorities that governments have.
But she said it is important, as "that is the moment that victims have their time in court and those perpetrators can face that moment of justice". She told Sky News that the issue often arises when sentencing offenders likely to get whole life orders:
Will Letby turn up for her sentencing?
Lucy Letby has indicated she will not be in court for today's sentencing. And according to her legal team she also does not want to follow proceedings via a videolink from prison.
No reason has been given for why she does not want to attend Manchester Crown Court. During her 10-month trial, she appeared in the dock regularly - but she failed to turn up for a few days last week.
If Letby does fail to show up to the hearing, it means she won’t hear the families' victim impact statements - where people have a chance to tell the court about how a crime has affected them and those around them.
She will also not hear the judge, Mr Justice James Goss, give his sentencing remarks where he will explain the reasons for the length of the prison sentence handed down to her.
The case has led to fresh calls that criminals should be forced to attend their sentencing, with former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland calling for the sentencing to be played into Letby's cell if she does not attend. Earlier this year, the government said it was committed to introducing a new law to ensure offenders must attend their sentencings.
Key details of the case and a quick summary
In case you’re not familiar with the case, Letby was accused of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill 10 others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.
The jury heard nine months of evidence, including claims Letby deliberately injected babies with air, force fed others milk and poisoned some with insulin.
Letby insisted she did not harm any of the babies and pointed to issues of poor hygiene and staffing levels in the hospital.
The prosecuting barrister said Letby had been on shift at the time when each baby collapsed.
He also included 11 other common themes, from unusual skin discolouration to the babies collapsing just after having been visited by parents.
You can find all our coverage on this case here
BreakingEx-nursing boss at Letby hospital suspended
In the last few moments, NHS England has confirmed the woman who was director of nursing at the Countess of Chester Hospital when Lucy Letby carried out her crimes has been suspended.
Alison Kelly had been accused of failing to act when doctors raised concerns. Letby’s trial heard how warnings about the nurse’s behaviour were ignored by Alison Kelly and other senior managers.
She is currently director of nursing at Northern Care Alliance.
An NHS England spokesperson confirmed: "In light of information that has emerged during the trial of Lucy Letby, and the announcement of the independent inquiry, the Northern Care Alliance has suspended Alison Kelly.”
How the police caught Lucy Letby
Video content
The investigation to catch Lucy Letby lasted six years - which culminated on Friday with the 33-year-old nurse being found guilty of murder.
"We had to go right back to the start, keeping an open mind and being careful not to draw any conclusions," said Det Supt Paul Hughes, the senior investigating officer who led the investigation
"The last thing we expected to find was a suspect responsible for these deaths and non-fatal collapses. It was a long, drawn-out process but no stone was left unturned. We had to do it right - not rush it.
"We had to deal with this as 17 separate investigations - we are normally used to dealing with one murder or attempted murder investigation at a time let alone something on this scale.
"What started out as a team of eight quickly increased and, at the height of the investigation, featured almost 70 officers and civilian staff working together.
"Turning up at the home of a family who have lost a baby, grieved for their loss and are trying to move on from that is difficult enough, but having to tell them that someone who was meant to be caring for their little one could ultimately be responsible for their death - is not an easy task.”
Welcome to our live coverage
Francesca Gillett
Live reporter
Good morning and welcome to our coverage ahead of the sentencing of nurse Lucy Letby.
On Friday, after a 10-month trial, Letby was found guilty of murdering seven babies, making her the UK's most prolific killer of babies in modern times.
Letby, 33, killed some of the infants by injecting them with air, some were force-fed milk and two were poisoned with insulin.
The murders happened between June 2015 and June 2016, when she was working at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Letby faced 22 charges in total and was also found guilty of trying to murder an additional six babies on the neonatal ward.
Stay with us for live updates as we build up to Letby's sentencing at Manchester Crown Court.