![Lucy Letby was handed a whole life sentence for her crimes](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/opinion/2023/08/21/TELEMMGLPICT000346391847_16926401818480_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bq8juO8C_Vdx2cT20LARTibnFLfv0ucAwTrkjYdq767p4.jpeg?imwidth=680)
![Lucy Letby was handed a whole life sentence for her crimes](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/opinion/2023/08/21/TELEMMGLPICT000346391847_16926401818480_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bq8juO8C_Vdx2cT20LARTibnFLfv0ucAwTrkjYdq767p4.jpeg?imwidth=680)
The statements read in court by the parents of the children murdered by Lucy Letby gave a human dimension to her ghastly series of crimes. Hitherto, the focus has been on the alleged failure of NHS managers to take seriously the concerns of clinicians about the nurse’s behaviour on the ward of the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit.
Before sentence was passed the parents gave a searing insight into the effects their children’s deaths had had on them, and how Letby’s refusal to stand in the dock and learn her fate had made their experience even more traumatic. One mother called it “one final act of wickedness from a coward”. However, government promises to force defendants to attend sentencing will be hard to turn into legislation.
The nurse, who murdered seven babies and tried to kill six more, was given a whole life term by the judge, Mr Justice Goss, whose sentencing remarks were televised, something that has only been possible in a criminal court since last year.
Another peculiarity has been the anonymity granted to the dead children and their families, which is highly unusual in a case not involving terrorism or national security.
This has been criticised by some experts as running counter to the principle of open justice. Perversely, broadcasters were required to censor the judge’s comments whenever he named the identities, leading to screen blackouts, thereby interrupting the thread of what the judge was saying. The privacy ruling applied here should not set a precedent for future trials, which should remain open.
The judge addressed Letby directly, even though she was absent, ordering that a transcript of his statement should be given to her. He said she had acted in a way completely contrary to the normal human instincts of nurturing and caring for babies. Outwardly, she was confident and professional, but this had allowed her to harm the children without arousing suspicion for some time.
The fact is, however, that doctors were perplexed by the high mortality rate as children they expected to survive died. Yet their concern that Letby was involved was seemingly ignored by NHS managers. That is a scandal whose ramifications will be felt for years to come, but the families will have to live with it forever. The judge said Letby had shown no remorse and there were no mitigating factors. She will rightly spend the rest of her life in jail.
A deserved sentence for a child murderer
Lucy Letby showed no remorse for her crimes, and will rightly spend the rest of her days in jail