British Nurse Lucy Letby Blames 'Raw Sewage' for Unexplained Infant Deaths in NICU

Lucy Letby, who is accused of killing seven infants and attempting to murder ten more during her time as a neonatal nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital, is now blaming her previous work conditions for their deaths.

The 33-year-old worked at the British medical center's intensive care unit between 2015 and 2016 before being placed on clerical duties after senior hospital staff reportedly grew suspicious over the number of infant deaths and near-deaths in which Letby was allegedly involved.

Her trial began in October, and Letby pleaded not guilty to all 22 charges related to their deaths. During her latest appearance at Manchester crown court, Letsby alleged the hospital was "not a safe working environment," per The Guardian.

"We used to have raw sewage coming out of the sinks [and] coming out on the floor in nursery one," she alleged.

According to the outlet, when questioned about the death of a six-day-old boy, Letby expressed that it is an "important thing to know there were often plumbing issues" in the room where he was treated. She added that the alleged plumbing issues could be "a contributory issue if the unit is dirty and staff were unable to wash their hands."

Among the six-day-old alleged victim are four other alleged male victims and two alleged female victims who were all infants at the time of their death.

In one instance of accused attempted murder, Letby allegedly tried to murder an infant, referred to as Child G, while the baby's assigned nurse was on a break. Under Letby's care, expert witness Dr. Dewi Evans testified the baby received "far more milk" than prescribed and that the overfeeding couldn't have been an accident but was an "intent to harm," per the BBC. That baby survived, but seven others did not.

In another instance, when an infant was in distress, Letby allegedly "told off" a coworker who attempted to assist. "I was shocked because you can't have enough help in that situation," Lisa Walker testified, according to the BBC. "[I was] quite taken aback and shocked because it's something you would not expect a nurse to say."

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Earlier this month, Letby also took the stand in her own defense, telling the jury that she meant no harm while working at the Countess of Chester Hospital. "I only ever did my best to care for them," Letby said. "That's completely against everything that being a nurse is. I am there to care, not to harm."