A new Netflix documentary is exploring the crimes of Lucy Letby
Lucy Letby was convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others(Image: Chester Standard / SWNS.com)
The mum of one of Lucy Letby’s victims has described the harrowing moment she had to say goodbye to her baby.
Letby, 36, from Hereford, is currently serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims, between June 2015 and June 2016.
It was confirmed last month that Letby will face no further charges over additional d3aths and collapses of babies that were investigated by police. Cheshire Constabulary had passed additional evidence to prosecutors last year for consideration, which was linked to eight potential offences of attempted murder and one offence of murder at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Another two allegations of attempted murder and murder were linked to one child at Liverpool Women’s Hospital. Lady Justice Thirlwall’s inquiry report into how Letby was able to commit her crimes on a hospital neonatal unit is due to be published this year.
On Wednesday morning (February 3), Netflix released their new documentary The Investigation Of Lucy Letby. The 90-minute film features never-before-seen footage of the nurse during her arrest and questioning, as well as new testimony from police and contributions from the mother of one of the victims.
Netflix clarified prior to its release that names, appearances and voices were all altered from interviews conducted, with some interviewees digitally anonymised to maintain anonymity.
provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info
One person featured throughout the documentary is a mum, whose child Zoe (not her actual name for legal reasons), recalling when her child d!ed hours after she gave birth at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
She told the documentary: “Three weeks before my due date, I woke up, and my water had broken. This was it, it was happening. At the hospital, I got checked out. A scan confirmed everything was fine. We were ready to meet little Zoe.
In August 2023, Letby was convicted of the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of six others(Image: PA)
“It was not straightforward, I was in labour for 60 hours. I felt something wasn’t right, I insisted I needed a c-section. The doctor lifted Zoe over the sheet but she seemed to be struggling to breathe. She had to be taken to intensive care.
“It was hard looking at her in the incubator. I couldn’t take her out, but I was able to hold her hand. She was so fragile, small and precious. I became a mummy. The doctors were telling us she was responding very well and as expected. There were no concerns,” she said.
The mum continued: “I was fast asleep when a nurse turned a light on and said ‘you need to come right now’. I asked what’s going on and she said ‘there’s no time, we need to go’. I remember being wheeled down a long corridor thinking ‘what’s going on’. I felt the panic in the room.
“The doctor was trying everything to keep her heart pumping. He wasn’t giving up, I wanted him to keep fighting. The other doctor put a hand on his shoulder and said ‘you need to stop, you need to let her go’.
“The doctor was still holding Zoe, but he stopped what he was doing. That was it. It was finished, it was over. My husband and I just broke down, we were just saying ‘what’s just happened, she was ok’. I was so angry, so sad and confused.”
After showing footage of Letby being arrested for the first time, with her later released on bail, the mum went on to recall when the police informed her that someone was arrested on suspicion of her child’s murder.
“All of a sudden I realised someone could have purposefully targeted my child. We were just completely lost for words. As soon as I saw her face, I recognised the nurse straight away. When I visited Zoe for the first time, she [Letby] had a clipboard. She wasn’t actually doing any job. She was just there, watching us,” she said.
Later, she said that while in court she was ‘sat three metres away’ from Letby, who she said looked at her ‘a dozen times’ during the trial. She stated: “Every time she looked at me I had to look down… When she was asked if she remembered Zoe, she paused and said no. The whole room gasped.”
Recalling when Letby was found guilty, the mum said: “I felt relieved, happy and then instantly broken because now this is true. I can’t escape this reality… I felt I needed to say sorry to my daughter.
“In my head I failed as a mum, I was asleep when this was happening and I stayed up all throughout the painful labor, birth and when she needed me I wasn’t there. This is not something I forgive myself.”
The final scene in the documentary sees the mum admitting ‘there’s no getting over’ what happened to her daughter, but there is still ‘love and hope’ in her life.
“I was strong enough to try again. My husband and I have a beautiful son. He is our reason for everything. I have always talked to him about Zoe. He knows she d!ed when she was a baby. He knows she’s in heaven. It’s been storm after storm and it’s not over, but I want to make it through,” she said.
