Lucy Letby: Baby had unusual rash before death, nurse trial told

Lucy Letby is accused of murdering seven babies and trying to kill 10 others

A senior nurse has told how a baby girl came out in an "unusual" deep red and brown rash just hours before her death, a murder trial has heard.

Nurse Lucy Letby allegedly killed the baby, referred to as Child D, by injecting air into her bloodstream at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

Caroline Oakley told Manchester Crown Court how in her 20 years of experience as a neonatal nurse she "had not seen that rash before on a baby".

Ms Letby denies the allegations.

She has been charged with murdering seven babies and attempting to murder 10 others at the hospital between 2015 and 2016.

Giving evidence, Ms Oakley recalled that Child D, who had been born prematurely, was "stable" the evening before her death.

She said: "I remember being very happy with her, obviously she did require some nursing care, she would have been classed as an intensive care patient.

"She did require a little bit of breathing support, but she was breathing for herself."

The nurse worked on the neonatal ward at Countess of Chester Hospital

At around 01:30 BST on 22 June, 2015, Ms Oakley said she had been called off her break to assist Ms Letby and another nurse with Child D, who had deteriorated.

"There was discolouration to the skin," she said.

"I don't remember specifically the exact rash, but I remember I hadn't seen it before. It was dark, it was unusual and the rash struck me."

Ms Oakley described the rash as "deep red and brown" and covering Child D's legs, arms, stomach and chin.

Lucy Letby denies 22 charges against her

Following interventions from Ms Oakley and doctors that morning, Child D's condition initially returned to "stable", the court heard.

But by 03:00 the baby had deteriorated again.

After further treatment, Child D stabilised for another hour before her final and fatal collapse at 04:25.

Ben Myers KC, defending, later questioned Ms Oakley about her memory of the "unusual" rash and asked if there had been general talk of a rash on infants at the hospital after the deaths of Child A and C.

She said she did "remember talk of that", but repeated that the "unusual" nature of the rash on Child D "stuck" in her mind.

A court order bans the reporting of the identities of the children allegedly attacked by Ms Letby, while identifying parents or witnesses connected with the children is also prohibited.

The trial continues.