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The Sun
11 minutes ago
- The Sun
Lucy Letby seen partying at pal's wedding while on bail for murdering seven babies in shock unseen photos
SHOCKING unseen pictures show Lucy Letby partying at a pal's wedding while on bail for murdering seven new-born babies. The images were shared by a friend of Letby, who did not want to be named, as part of a documentary which is due to air tonight. 7 7 7 Lucy Letby was convicted in 2023 of the sickening murder of seven babies and attempted murder of seven others. A friend of the child killer, using the fake name Dawn, siad she was thrilled that Letby could attend her wedding. She was determined that her friend, who she met as a teenager, was innocent and sought special permission from authorities for the killer to attend the wedding while on bail. Dawn remains convinced of her childhood friend's innocence and has stood by Letby despite her horrific crimes. She went on to claim that scribbled notes found in Letby's house weren't any sort of confession as previously suggested. She revealed that both her and Letby trained in peer-support counselling and learned to write down their worst fears and feelings as a method to deal with anxieties. Dawn was working when Letby was handed down a guilty verdict and said she couldn't take the news in. She said: "My assumption when all of this happened was that perhaps she had inadvertently forgotten bits of procedure or she has made some mistakes. "There were those dark moments where I thought perhaps has she inadvertently caused harm because she was so newly qualified in such a high pressure environment and perhaps that's why she was being targeted for these accusations. "Shortly after this she was held in custody, so I don't think she has seen these [photographs]." Lucy Letby cops arrest 3 senior members of leadership team at hospital where killer nurse murdered 7 babies Dawn added: "'I sat there dumbfounded for a while, not really knowing how to process what I was hearing. "I didn't think it was real. I immediately switched to thinking what happens next? This can't be it, she can't just spend the rest of her life in prison. "I'm living a life that Lucy should be living beside me." Between 2015 and 2016 nearly three times as many new-born babies died at the Countess of Chester Hospital, where Letby worked, than normal. 7 7 The killer nurse, 35, was found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven more, she is currently serving 15 life sentences. Some of the 35-year-old killers colleagues still struggle to accept that Letby committed the crimes. Karen Rees former head of urgent care nursing at the hospital also spoke in the documentary. She said: "I loved working here. "We were all shocked, really shocked, when I look back to when it all started, I don't think any of us thought that this storyline would ride out the way it has." Thinking back, she added: "I was made aware that the mortality rates appeared to be higher than they had been in the previous years. "It was tough because everyone was trying, thinking please let us find a reason for this." During her trial Letby was accused of being cold and unfeeling but Ms Rees said the convicted murderer was actually devastated by the accusations. Ms Rees was responsible for breaking the news to Letby that she was being removed from her role caring for new-borns. Letby was moved to an out-of-the-way desk job in a humiliating move for the nurse. According to Ms Rees Letby had to tell colleagues that this was her choice. Rees said: "I was told just to say that concerns had been raised, and that this was seen as a neutral act. "She was not being accused of anything at this point. But it seemed safer to take her off clinical practice to protect herself as well as babies on that neonatal unit." 7 7 Letby didn't even question the decision as she was marched away from the unit where she worked. Ms Rees said Letby was just looking at her, in shock over the allegations levelled against her. She went on to say that Letby cried a lot later on and, after police became involved, was prescribed antidepressants. These are often known to supress moods and emotions and Letby told her trial in May 2023 that she was still taking them. She also claimed that she had considered suicide at the time she was removed from the job she trained for. Ms Rees claims in the documentary that she never asked Letby if she ever purposefully harmed anyone. She goes on to say that she didn't ask because she never thought Letby had intentionally harmed anyone. Ms Rees said: "I didn't, I don't believe it." Rees' revelations are just a few of many dramatic moments set to be seen in the documentary Lucy Letby: Beyond Reasonable Doubt? tonight on ITV. Letby's new barrister Mark McDonald admits to camera that, despite the involvement of some of the most distinguished doctors in the world, who say no crime was committed, an appeal may yet be refused on a technicality. According to the barrister the objections to the guilty verdict could have been raised at the original trial, so it may be claimed that it was not the court's fault that things went wrong.
The Independent
13 minutes ago
- The Independent
Lucy Letby seen partying at wedding whilst on bail for baby murders
Newly released images show Lucy Letby smiling and dancing at a friend's wedding whilst she was on bail for the suspected murder of eight babies. The photos were shared by her childhood friend, Dawn Howe, in the ITV documentary 'Lucy Letby: Beyond Reasonable Doubt?', which premiered on Sunday. Howe revealed that Letby, who is currently serving 15 whole-life sentences, had to obtain special police permission to attend the wedding. The images depict the 35-year-old former nurse dressed in a red top and grey skirt at the event. Watch the video in full above.
The Independent
13 minutes ago
- The Independent
Stepmother admits ‘massive regret' for taking 11-year-old son to violent post-Southport riot
A stepmother who took her 11-year-old son to a post-Southport riot, where she shouted at police protecting asylum seekers, has says she has 'massive regret' over her actions. Amy Hodgkinson-Hedgecox, 38, joined the protest outside a Holiday Inn Express in Tamworth, Staffordshire, after initially intending to take the boy to a skate park, a court heard. During the unrest on 4 August last year, the hotel was damaged and petrol was poured inside and set alight. In November, Hodgkinson-Hedgecox reacted angrily when she given a 27-month prison sentence at Stafford Crown Court after pleading guilty to violent disorder. But following her release on licence, the mother-of-two has now spoken of her remorse, describing herself as an 'idiot' and 'stupid' after getting 'caught up in the moment'. She was one of 544 people sentenced for offences linked to the nationwide unrest that broke out after the murder of three children at a dance class in Southport. The tragedy triggered a wave of misinformation, including inaccurate claims the killer was an asylum seeker. Speaking to the BBC's Panorama programme, Hodgkinson-Hedgecox , who now wears an electronic tag as part of a night-time curfew, said she joined the protest after seeing posts on social media that claimed asylum seekers had been filming children at a park close to the hotel. She now acknowledges the claims may have been untrue. The former factory worker, who lives in Tamworth, said: "I did swear. I was just shouting to the police, like, how would you like it if your child has been videoed by them? There's a level where you should be sticking up for us as well as them.' "I was frustrated, I was really frustrated.' Hodgkinson-Hedgecox said she did feel concerned for the people inside the hotel when she saw a petrol bomb being lit. She said: "When they started smashing the windows, they were throwing fireworks through the holes and they were going bang in the building, I thought, something bad's going to happen here. "As soon as I seen the lighter go on that petrol bomb I thought, oh my God, this building's going to go down. I was really concerned for [the people inside]. I thought, wow, this is gonna go up in flames, gonna kill them all.' Looking back on her actions, she said: "I accept that I was wrong for being there. I should never have been there. And I accept I should have never took a child with me either. Massive regret, huge regret. It's bad parenting." She also said: "I have no answer for it other than I'm an idiot, stupid, got caught up in the moment.' While in prison, Hodgkinson-Hedgecox said she accepted £1,000 from far-right group Patriotic Alternative. It was offered to provide financial support for families of those convicted. She told the BBC she regretted taking the cash. Last week, a police watchdog chief warned there was 'every possibility' that similar violence to the Southport riots could reoccur. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services Sir Andy Cooke said the 'tools that amplified hatred last summer remain largely unchanged and unregulated'. He said: 'Online misinformation continues to spread. Community tensions persist.' He called on police forces to modernise their understanding of how disorder develops and spreads in the digital age.
