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A NURSE CHARGED with the murders of eight babies in a one-year-old massacre in a hospital neonatal unit has been taken into custody.
Lucy Letby, 30, is said to have murdered five baby boys and three girls while working at Countess of Chester Hospital.
She is also charged with the attempted murder of five baby boys and five girls, all between June 2015 and June 1016.
The charges took just over two and a half minutes to read in full when the defendant appeared via video link in Warrington Magistrates Court this morning.
Letby spoke in a loud and clear voice, giving her name, date of birth, and address at the beginning of the short 10-minute hearing.
The defendant appeared on video sitting at a desk, next to her partially shaded attorney, in a room at the Blacon Police Station.
Pascale Jones, the accuser, told the court that Letby should be taken into custody for her own safety.
She said: “The crown will also emphasize that there are substantial grounds to believe that, for his own protection, this defendant should be taken into custody.”
The eight murder counts of a victim under one year of age are: Cemlyn Bennett, Joseph Johnson, Elsie McNall, Barney Gee, Daisy Parkin, Maddie Freed, Joseph Gelder and Eli Gelder.
The 10 counts of attempted murder are each for possible victims under the age of one, one of which includes Maddie Freed.
District Judge Nicholas Sanders imposed an order restricting information on the names of the surviving babies subject to the attempted murder charges.
Only two members of the press were able to enter the courtroom, with a dozen more in an annexed courtroom to the side, watching through a video link, and more blocked outside the courthouse due to restricted access due to measures. of social distancing.
The babies’ families were also observing the procedures through the same link in remote locations.
District Judge Sanders warned that there should be no audio or video recordings of the proceedings.
The judge, addressing the defendant, said: “Today’s court hearing is for a number of issues.
I will not accept any requests today, as I am sure Mr. Thomas has spoken to you.
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“These are matters assigned to the crown court, today is a preliminary hearing to send to the crown court.”
He added: “These matters are assigned to the crown court for trial, their first appointment is tomorrow, November 13, at 2.15 pm.
“They told me that the crown court will organize the production (of the defendant) tomorrow.”
Letby, of Arran Avenue, Hereford, was arrested in 2018 and 2019 as part of the police investigation into Countess of Chester Hospital, which began in 2017.
“She was arrested for the third time on Tuesday and last night charged with all 18 crimes.”
Comments are closed as legal proceedings are ongoing.
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