Baby cared for by Letby 'was wrapped in dirty towel'

A baby girl allegedly attacked by Lucy Letby was found wrapped only in a dirty towel while under the nurse's care, an inquiry has heard.

The parents of the child, referred to as Baby J, told the Thirlwall Inquiry, which is looking to the NHS's response to Letby, the discovery was their "tipping point" which showed "a lack of care and humility" towards the babies Letby was supposed to be caring for.

Jurors at Letby's 10-month trial could not reach a verdict on claims she had attempted to murder Baby J.

The Crown Prosecution Service opted not to seek a retrial over the incident at the Chester neonatal unit in the early hours of November 27 2015, when the child had a seizure and required resuscitation.

Letby was convicted of killing seven new born babies and attempting to kill another seven.

Baby J's parents told the public inquiry how they desperately tried to keep their daughter at another hospital after she was transferred there for a brief time.

She had been born at 32 weeks with a damaged bowel and needed surgery at a specialist unit in Liverpool.

She was then due to return to the Countess of Chester Hospital but her parents tried to make sure she was allowed to stay at the unit at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital instead.

The inquiry heard that weeks later the baby suffered another nightshift collapse when the nurse was again on duty, although she was not charged in relation to that.

In a statement to the inquiry, Baby J's parents said they "will never know the truth" and said CCTV should have been installed by cots and incubators.

"It's for this reason we believe babies should be monitored using technology such as CCTV. It should be here for each cot space and incubator," her father said.

"I believe that generally in this period CCTV would have answered a number of questions that will be probably remain unanswered forever for a number of parents.

"I think there is a concern generally in society about the amount of CCTV but this is the vulnerable members of our society, our babies and the elderly, and in those cases I also believe they deserve the right to be protected in any way that is necessary.

"People who are working in those settings should accept that as part of them wanting to do the right thing and be in an environment that is 100% dedicated to the patients and their safety."

He said he could not understand why more action was not taken before his daughter's collapses as consultants had already expressed concerns about Letby's presence when babies died on the unit.

He added it was "inconceivable" and "ludicrous" that she was later moved from the neonatal unit to a non-patient role at the hospital in July 2016, despite fears she had deliberately harmed infants in her care.

Baby J returned home in January 2016 and is now "doing very well", her mother told the inquiry.

But she added: "This journey has severely impacted our lives even though we have a healthy and happy child.

"We recognise we haven't suffered the terrible loss and sadness and ongoing life-long challenges of many of the other families. They have lost babies who would normally have gone on to live happy lives in loving families.

"We stand in solidarity with them."

The mother of another girl, Baby H, who was allegedly targeted twice by Letby in September 2015, said she "struggled" with a message that Letby passed to her at the Countess of Chester.

The infant required resuscitation after her oxygen deteriorated twice.

Jurors at Letby's trial found her not guilty of attempted murder over the first incident and could not reach a verdict on the second incident.

Baby H's mother told the inquiry Letby handed her a red box as her daughter was placed in an ambulance for transfer to another hospital on 27 September.

"It had a teddy bear on the top and inside the box was a cot card and her wristband from the Countess of Chester," she said.

It also contained a bag with a label reading "For my Mummy and Daddy xxx" containing the hat Baby H had worn when she was receiving breathing support, the inquiry heard.

"To me it almost seemed a bit like a memory box. I remember thinking that it was quite morbid. You know, because she was not dead," her mother said.

Letby, 34, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims, between June 2015 and June 2016.

The inquiry is expected to sit until early next year, with findings published by late autumn 2025.