Lucy Letby is alleged to have tried to kill a premature baby three times before murdering her.
Image source, SWNSA neonatal nurse accused of murdering babies killed one of them on the fourth attempt, a court has heard.
Lucy Letby, 33, is charged with murdering seven babies and attempting to murder 10 others at the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2015 and 2016.
Jurors at Manchester Crown Court were told Ms Letby tried to kill Child I – who cannot be named for legal reasons – in September and October 2015, before succeeding on 23 October 2015.
Ms Letby has denied all of the charges.
The court was told Child I was born prematurely in August 2015 at Liverpool Women’s Hospital.
She had a gestational age of 27 weeks and weighed 2Ibs 2oz (970g).
The baby was transferred to the Countess of Chester Hospital on 18 August 2015.
‘Appeared reserved’
It is alleged that before murdering Child I, Ms Letby attempted to kill the infant on 30 September and during night shifts on 12 and 13 October.
In a statement read out in court, Child I’s mother described how Ms Letby and another nurse asked if she wanted to bathe her daughter shortly after her death.
She said Ms Letby brought the bath in and offered to take photographs, which she could keep.
“Lucy came back in and was smiling and kept going on about how she was present at [her daughter’s] first bath and how much she loved it,” she said.
“I wished she would just stop talking.
“Eventually I think she realised and stopped. It’s not something we wanted to hear.”
Earlier in her statement, she also described how she had never had “much to do with” Ms Letby.
“She always appeared reserved and never interacted with the other parents,” Child I’s mother added.
The trial of Ms Letby, originally from Hereford, continues.
