"No... it has to be": Expert doctor helped catch killer nurse Lucy Letby after shocking realisation
28.08.2023 - 10:37
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A doctor who helped catch killer nurse Lucy Letby said she came to a shocking conclusion after being handed a dossier of evidence. Dr Sandie Bohin was called as an expert witness during Letby's trial, which ended with her being found guilty of murdering seven newborn babies and attempting to murder six others at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Prosecutors handed her evidence to review including X-rays and medical records, as they investigated what was happening on the hospital's neonatal unit. Dr Bohin's suspicions were aroused when she observed air trapped in the babies' blood vessels.
The trial at Manchester Crown Court heard that Letby had injected milk, air or insulin directly into her tiny victims. The effect of injecting the air would cause bubbles to appear in some of the babies' bloodstream, blocking their blood supply.
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Dr Bohin told The Sunday Times that she was initially stunned by the evidence of intentional killing, as she had "never seen anything like that in my career" - but found that but "nothing else explained" the deaths. She said: "The X-rays were in front of me, several of them, all showing air in the babies' vessels.
"That's when I thought, 'No, it has to be, and it has to be deliberate'." Another key piece of evidence came from bereaved parents and hospital staff, who described hearing babies screaming on the ward in their final moments.
Some were reported to have cried for as long as 30 minutes at a time - despite the fact premature babies do not usually cry at all, as their breathing system is not fully developed. She added: "I remember the mother of one of the babies said she could hear in the