Prosecution evidence, March 8th 2023, Day 69 - Chester Standard Updates LIVE: Lucy Letby trial, Wednesday, March 8
Triplets O and P
9:22am
Previously, the prosecution said in the opening that Child O was one of three triplet brothers born at the Countess of Chester Hospital on June 21, 2016.
The prosecution say Lucy Letby murdered Child O, and brother Child P, on June 23 and June 24 respectively.
10:39am
The prosecution is now beginning its evidence for Child O and Child P, two boys who were triplets born on June 21, 2016 at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Simon Driver, prosecuting, tells the jury the case of Child O will be heard first, over the next few days, before the case of Child P begins.
Mother's Statement
10:42am
A statement from the mother of Child O, Child P and the other triplet is read out to the court.
She says she had a 12-week scan at the Countess of Chester Hospital 'which seemed to take a bit longer than normal', where her partner realised there was more than one baby. It was confirmed she had triplets.
The triplets would be identical, she was informed, and she was referred to Liverpool Women's Hospital to see a specialist. She was informed there was an 80% chance one of the triplets would be smaller than the other two.
10:46am
Two weeks later she went for a follow-up scan, and everything was 'fine', as were further fortnightly scans.
She was informed the triplets were 'unlikely' to stay at the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit, as there would not be the space for three nursery beds, and they may have to be treated at Birmingham.
On June 21, the mother was admitted to the Countess of Chester Hospital, was assessed, and advised to go for a C-section.
She went to theatre at 2pm, and the triplet boys were born shortly afterwards. They had been named in advance, and the babies were named in the order they came out.
In recovery, she was brought pictures with the boys and their birth weights recorded.
10:47am
The mother was taken to see all the baby boys, and handled all of them.
On the neonatal unit, there "didn't seem to be any routine for washing hands".
All the triplets were in nursery room 1, and they were all brain scanned, with no concerns.
10:49am
The following day, the mother was taken to see the triplets, and was informed all were doing well.
She said she asked on numerous occasions, about expressing milk, but no-one came to help until after Child O passed away, when a nurse called Lucy handed her an information leaflet.
10:52am
On June 23, the mother was in the ward and still struggling to walk. About 10-15 minutes after the father had been to the unit, he came back with a consultant doctor, who informed her Child O's stomach had swollen and 'needed a little help to breathe, so a tube had been put down his throat'. He was calm and said this was normal.
The mother was put into a wheelchair, and upon arrival at the nursery, she said: "By the time I got there, it was a scene of chaos". A lot of doctors and staff surrounded Child O.
"I remember nurse Lucy was there, all the time."
"The staff appeared to be in a state of panic, and it didn't seem controlled at all."
The mother said she sat outside, and could not bring herself to be too close, as Child O kept arresting and changing colour. "He was swollen all over his body".
10:55am
At some point, another doctor arrived and told the mother "things weren't looking good" for Child O, and said if he did survive, he would likely have brain damage.
Child O passed away at 5pm.
Child P and the other boy were in nursery room 2.
The mother said: "This whole episode had come like a bolt out of the blue. On the face of it, everything seemed to be going well with the triplets.
"As a family, we were naturally devastated.
"With hindsight, there were a number of things we found unusual."
The mother said she didn't expect a student nurse to be looking after one of the babies.
She said they kept seeking reassurance that the other two boys were fine.
10:57am
A doctor, who was "quite upset", said she was very sorry for what had happened to Child O, and photos were taken of the baby boy.
The mother said she didn't sleep at all that night. She, at one point, asked the midwife to check if the other two boys were ok. She was reassured they were fine.
The following day, they went to the neonatal unit and were informed by a nurse the two boys had "been like angels", behaving all night and feeding regularly.
10:59am
The mother recalled having breakfast and freshening up.
She then heard voices and saw a midwife was present and advised to go to the neonatal unit, as Child P was unwell.
"I was devastated. A couple of hours earlier he had been fine.
"I called my mum to tell her it was happening again."
When she arrived, she said it was "like deja vu" and the situation was "chaotic" with people "running around" in nursery room 2, where both boys were.
11:03am
The mother said she sat outside "for long periods of time".
At one point, a young doctor looked to be Googling 'how to insert a line'.
They needed to do this process as Child P's lungs had collapsed during CPR.
"This alarmed me".
The mother was informed they were looking to transfer Child P to Liverpool, but they needed to stabilise the baby first as he kept collapsing.
She was told things were "looking a lot more hopeful" for Child P - he looked veiny, but his stomach was not distended like Child O's was.
At some point, the transport team arrived. The reaction from the transport team was "incredible to watch" as "they just took over".
'Even the consultant took a back seat'. "We were reassured, he seemed calm."
Child P passed away.
The mother said she and her partner "begged" the transport team to take the surviving boy with him to Liverpool Women's Hospital.
11:07am
The mother said she had to discharge herself from the Countess of Chester Hospital, and asked for her care to be transferred to Liverpool. "They refused, which was the last thing I needed."
The mother travelled to Liverpool, having stopped to pick up some clothes along the way, and were .
"We were just made to feel at ease - the two hospitals felt like night and day."
The staff said the surviving baby boy could be treated there for as long as there was a bed available, but did not need intensive treatment.
The surviving baby stayed at the hospital for three and a half weeks.
The mother said she was "surprised" there was not 1:1 nursing care for the triplets, and a student nurse was looking after them, with Lucy Letby 'popping in'.
Lucy Letby was "extremely emotional" and "in pieces" after Child P passed away. She was "in floods of tears", the mother said. A doctor also arrived and "was also upset".
Grandmother's Statement
11:18am
A statement from the grandmother of the triplets is now being read out.
She said she was aware the triplets were identical and couldn't be told apart, apart from their identity tags, and were in differently coloured blankets, and were all of good weight.
"All was well, up until June 23."
She was informed "something was wrong" with Child O.
She left work and travelled to the hospital, and upon arrival, Child O was being baptised, and the parents were "hysterical" and "at a loss".
The grandmother recalls Lucy Letby was there, and was "softly spoken".
Child O continued to deteriorate, and a Dr John Gibbs was called to the unit, who asked Lucy Letby how many shots of adrenaline had been administered, and Lucy said she was not sure, three or four. Dr Gibbs replied: "Well, what was it, Three or four?" Lucy Letby appeared to be referring to a scrap of paper for records which had yet to be updated.
Lucy Letby was in the unit, and the grandmother said: "I remember thanking her for her assistance during the ordeal."
The grandmother said she could not recall what happened with Child O, as she was too busy consoling the parents.
When she received the "awful call" about Child P being unwell, the grandmother was at home.
She arrived at the hospital and saw a number of doctors surrounding Child P. There had been "a signficiant improvement" in Child P's condition. His condition 'seemed fine' for an hour or two, but then took a dramatic turn for the worse.
Outside the nursery room, a nurse researched a procedure on a desktop computer.
"I was a little surprised at this, as I assumed the staff knew what they were doing. I thought they were possibly just confirming the procedure."
Child P continued deteriorating and the call was made to transfer him to Liverpool, but Child P sadly passed away.
It was decided that as the transport team were already present, they would take the surviving boy to Liverpool Women's Hospital, as they were not sure if there was a congenital condition.
A doctor informed the family there would be post-mortems for Child O and Child P to establish the causes of death.
Father's (Video) Statement
11:26am
A 15-minute video interview is now being played, as agreed evidence, with the father of the triplets. The video interview was recorded in December 2019.
He says, for June 23, the scene was "a mess".
He recalls being taken to the unit by a nurse 'asap', "there's something going on".
He said he and the mother both "panicked".
He recalls there was "definitely swelling" on Child O, but could not recall why, and, getting upset and pointing to his hands, he says there were 'bright blue' veins.
11:30am
He said medical staff were doing 'not a lot', and seemed to be concentrating on Child O's temperature.
He said there were "lots of people, rushing in and out".
He recalls seeing a 'pot belly' appearance for Child O, which then had 'gone down'.
The ordeal lasted "ages" for Child O. It "seemed like hours".
The doctor could offer 'no explanation' for what had happened to Child O which has resulted in him dying, the father recalls.
11:38am
The interview talks about the events of June 24.
The father recalls having spent time with the two boys.
He recalls the scene for Child P was "worse than the day before", and was "pandemonium".
He said there was nothing of the sign for Child P of a swollen belly.
He said the medical staff did not have any explanation for why Child P was unwell.
The transport team arrived, but Child P passed away within 10-15 minutes.
He recalls he and the mother asked the transport team to take the surviving baby boy to Liverpool Women's Hospital.
The father adds: "I am sure it was Lucy Letby who wheeled the two boys to us. She said how sorry she was.
"I'm pretty certain she dressed them up."
He said it was Lucy Letby's job to do up the memory box, which included an SD card containing memories of Child O and Child P.
The surviving baby stayed in Liverpool for 'about 11 days' and there were 'no complications at all' apart from a 'small hole in his heart', and remained stable.
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