Trigger warning: this report contains distressing content
Neo-natal nurse Lucy Letby has been sentenced to a whole-life term without parole for the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of six others between 2015 and 2016.
This makes her the most prolific child serial-killer in modern British history.
The 33-year-old's trial began in Manchester Crown Court last October, with Letby convicted of killing seven babies, and attempting to kill a further six babies, while working at the Countess of Chester Hospital, between June 2015 and June 2016. In two separate hearings earlier this month on August 8 and August 11, Letby was found guilty.
Today, she was sentenced, refusing to attend court as she was handed a rare whole-life term, without parole. She is the fourth woman in the UK to have received a whole life order.
“Lucy Letby, on each of the seven offences of murder, and the seven offences of attempted murder, I sentence you to imprisonment for life," stated the judge, Mr Justice Goss, finding her guilty of "a cruel, calculated and cynical campaign of child murder".
"You acted in a way that was completely contrary to the normal human instincts of nurturing and caring for babies and in gross breach of the trust that all citizens place in those who work in the medical and caring professions," Mr Justice Goss announced in his sentencing.
"In your evidence you said that 'hurting a baby is completely against everything that being a nurse is', as, indeed, it should be. You also claimed you never did anything that was meant to hurt a baby and only ever did your best to care for them. That was but one of the many lies you were found to have told in this case."
"There was pre-meditation, calculation and cunning in your actions. You specifically targeted twins and, latterly, triplets. Some babies were healthy, others had medical issues of which you were aware. The great majority of your victims suffered acute pain as a result of what you did to them. They all fought for survival; some, sadly, struggled in vain and died.
"The impact of your crimes has been immense, as disclosed by the deeply moving personal statements that have been read to the court this morning. The lives of new-born or relatively new-born babies were ended almost as soon as they began and lifelong harm has been caused, all in horrific circumstances.
"Loving parents have been robbed of their cherished children and others have to live with the physical and mental consequences of your actions. Siblings have been deprived of brothers and sisters. You have caused deep psychological trauma, brought enduring grief and feelings of guilt, caused strains in relationships and disruption to the lives of all the families of all your victims.
"You have shown no remorse. There are no mitigating factors. In their totality, the offences of murder and attempted murder were of exceptionally high seriousness and just punishment, according to law, requires a whole life order."
The families of Lucy Letby's victims made their impact statements this morning ahead of the sentencing, but with Letby refusing to attend her sentencing, they were forced to read their statements to an empty dock.
The trial has raised a lot of debate around convicts being allowed to miss their sentencing, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirming that the government plans to change the law to ensure that convicts attend their sentencing.
"The first thing is to extend my sympathies to everyone affected by this," stated Sunak when asked for a comment. "I think, like everyone reading about this, it's just shocking and harrowing.
"Now, I think it's cowardly that people who commit such horrendous crimes do not face their victims and hear firsthand the impact that their crimes have had on them and their families and loved ones.
"We are looking and have been at changing the law to make sure that that happens, and that's something that we'll bring forward in due course."
We will continue to update this report.
