Search icon

News

23rd Aug 2023

Inside the prison room where Lucy Letby will spend the rest of her life

Joseph Loftus

She’s expected to spend the rest of her life in HMP Low Newton

On Monday August 21, Lucy Letby was given a whole life order for the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of many more.

Letby, a former nurse, was trusted to look after the defenceless newborns in the neonatal ward of the Countess of Chester Hospital, but instead of caring for them, Letby killed the poorly children between June 2015 and June 2016.

Manchester Crown Court heard that Letby deliberately harmed the innocent children in various ways including injecting air intravenously, interfering with breathing tubes, inflicting trauma, and administering milk into the stomach via nasogastric tubes.

While numerous theories on why Letby killed the children have emerged, the only truth is that we will never know.

What we do know, is that Lucy Letby will never be a free woman ever again.

Letby is now the most prolific child serial killer in modern British history.

While being sentenced, Mr Justice Goss told the court in her absence: “There was a malevolence bordering on sadism in your actions. During the course of this trial you have coldly denied any responsibility for your wrongdoing. You have no remorse.

“There are no mitigating factors. You will spend the rest of your life in prison. You killed seven fragile babies and attempted to kill six others. Some of your victims were only a day or a few days old. All were extremely vulnerable.”

Whole life orders are the most severe punishment available in the United Kingdom and are strictly reserved for those who commit the most horrific crimes.

The Times report that Letby is likely to be jailed in HMP Low Newton in Durham alongside Joanna Dennehy, who was also given a whole life order for the murder of three men in 2013.

Other women who were given whole life orders include Myra Hindley and Rose West.

HMP Low Newton was inspected by the Independent Monitoring Boards back in June 2021 who reported: “Women live in a clean, decent, and comfortable environment. They are provided with all the essential basic items.”

Prisoners are also, reportedly, allowed to make their cells feel homely, though it is thought Letby will be segregated from other prisoners for the first portion of her sentence due to the severity and the nature of her crimes.

Related links:

Topics: