The former neonatal nurse who was convicted of killing seven babies has been given a life order for her crimes.
Lucy Letby was working as a nurse in the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital when she took the lives of seven babies and tried to kill six more between June 2015 and June 2016.
Now 33, Letby is considered the UK’s most prolific child killer and has become the fourth woman to receive a whole life order for her crimes – this means she will die behind bars barring exceptional circumstances.
A whole-life order is different from a life sentence and it is the most severe punishment in the UK.
Some offenders are given a life sentence but that does not always mean that they will spend the rest of their lives in prison. The terms of a life sentence differ depending on the severity of the crimes committed.
A whole life order means Letby will spend the rest of her life behind bars without any chance of release. This sentence is reserved for the most serious of crimes.
Nicholas Johnson KC, prosecuting, said that there was a ‘very, very clear case’ for the former nurse to receive a whole life sentence for her heinous crimes.
During sentencing, Mr. Justice Goss, the judge, said: “This was a cruel, calculated, and cynical campaign of child murder involving the smallest and most vulnerable of children, knowing that your actions were causing significant physical suffering and would cause untold mental suffering.
“There was a deep malevolence bordering on sadism in your actions.”
Letby was reportedly sentenced to imprisonment for life for each of the seven murders and six attempted murders.
“Because the seriousness of your offenses is exceptionally high, I direct that the early release provisions do not apply. The order of the court, therefore, is a whole-life order on each and every offense, and you will spend the rest of your life in prison,” Mr. Justice Goss added.
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