LUCY Letby will face a retrial on a charge of attempting to murder a child, it has been announced.
The 33-year-old was found guilty in August 2023 of murdering seven babies in the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital in Cheshire where she worked in 2015 and 2016.
What was Lucy Letby’s initial sentence?
Letby, 33, was given a whole life order when sentenced last month– meaning she would die behind bars.
Only three other women have been given a whole life terms in the UK – serial killers Rose West, the late Moors Murderer Myra Hindley and Joanna Dennehy.
Why is Lucy Letby having a retrial?
Jurors at her ten-month trial at Manchester Crown Court were unable to reach verdicts on six counts of attempted murder relating to five children.
The Crown Prosecution Service said on September 25 2023 it would pursue a retrial on one of the outstanding charges.
Letby, from Hereford, is accused of attempting to murder a baby girl, known as Child K, in February 2016.
She denied all the offences during her previous trial and earlier this month formally lodged an appeal against her convictions.
She appeared at the September 25 hearing via videolink from HMP New Hall, whose other inmates have included serial killer West who was transferred there in 2019.
Letby spoke only to confirm her name while sitting behind a desk in a conference room at the jail in Flockton, West Yorkshire.
When will Lucy Letby’s retrial be and what happens during one?
A provisional trial date was today set for June 10 2024, with an estimated length of two to three weeks.
The hearing was held at Manchester Crown Court where the retrial is also scheduled to take place.
The prosecution and the defence will offer evidence and have the opportunity to call witnesses on the charge Letby faces.
