Letby, 32, denies an alleged killing spree on the neonatal unit at Countess of Chester Hospital (Picture: PA/SWNS/Rex)
A jury has heard from a neonatal expert in the latest day of the ongoing Lucy Letby trial.
The nurse is accused of murdering seven babies and trying to kill 10 more at Countess of Chester Hospital.
Consultant paediatrician Dr Dewi Evans, who dealt with general background matters relating to neonatal care in the NHS, gave evidence today.
Evidence directly related to the 17 children allegedly harmed by Letby will be heard later in the trial, with Dr Evans being an expert witness.
Letby, 32, denies attacking newborn children in a variety of ways, including poisoning, during an alleged killing spree on the neonatal unit between June 2015 and June 2016.
On Friday, jurors initially received a tutorial on how to use iPads on which much of the evidence will be loaded digitally, in place of paper files.
The eight women and four men of the jury were also shown a ‘walk through’ video of the neonatal unit at Chester as it was when Letby worked there.
Dr Evans, the first witness called in the trial which is expected to last up to six months, said he began working in paediatrics 40 years ago.
The nurse is currently on trial following accusations she murdered seven babies and tried to kill 10 more (Picture: Chester Standard/SWNS.com)
He had worked in neonatal units in Swansea, Cardiff and Liverpool and had developed neonatal services in south Wales in the 70s and 80s when it was an emerging discipline of medicine.
He told the jury about the evolution of such care to the present day, a process he described as ‘not of reading books, very much hands-on’.
He added: ‘In the 70s babies who were small and ill died. There was very little care available.’
Dr Evans gave explanations to the jury of medical terms which have been heard during the start of the trial, and also commented on a series of short videos demonstrating medical equipment and procedures relating to neonatal care.
The trial was then adjourned until Monday morning.
A Post-it note was shown to jurors as part of the ongoing trial at Manchester Crown Court
Earlier this week, the jury heard that on a Post-it note found at Letby’s home after her arrest she had written, ‘I am evil I did this’.
But Ben Myers KC, defending Letby, told the jury the note was an ‘anguished outpouring of a young woman in fear’ and the defendant was in fact a dedicated nurse who is ‘adamant’ she never harmed any babies.
Letby, originally from Hereford, denies all the allegations against her.
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The nurse is accused of murdering seven babies and trying to kill 10 more.