Last year, a shocking and sensational incident came to light from a hospital in northern England. A British-origin nurse working in the hospital here was convicted of murdering seven infants. She was convicted in August 2023.
Innocents were killed by injecting air and insulin
The horrific manner in which the 33-year-old nurse killed the children can be gauged from the fact that she injected air and insulin into the children’s blood. To kill the children, she forcibly made them drink excessive amounts of milk or liquid so that they would die. When the police searched the accused’s house, they found notes on which it was written that she is a devil. These handwritten notes were also presented in the court as evidence of the nurse’s horrific mentality.
Questions raised on Lucy Gatby’s confession letter
But a recent report in The Guardian has revealed that the notes written by Lucy Letby, which were used to help convict the nurse, were actually written by her during counselling as a way of dealing with extreme stress.
These notes were shown as confessions by the prosecution in court during his first trial. But now sources related to the case claim that he was advised to write these notes after a counseling session during a treatment so that he could remove his disturbing thoughts and feelings.
‘I’m a horrible evil person who hates’
These were written on post-it notes and torn sheets of paper with a pen. There was overwriting in some places and some were highlighted in big letters. They read – ‘I am bad, I did all this, I killed them intentionally because I am not fit enough to take care of them and I am a terrible evil person who hates.’
‘Why me? I did nothing wrong’
The prosecution used these notes to help build a case against Letby. The jury’s attention was drawn to these notes throughout the trial. But it is worth thinking about that in those same notes Letby had also said – I am not okay, why me? I have not done anything wrong, I am becoming a victim of police investigation, defamation and discrimination.
‘I feel like killing myself, please help me’
It is claimed that the notes shown everywhere in the media as confessions were written when some of his colleagues started doubting him. The notes also mentioned his family, pet and colleagues. It was written in them – ‘I feel like killing myself, please help’, apart from this it was written – ‘Despair, panic, fear, I feel lost, I feel very lonely and scared’.
Sources close to the case told the Guardian that Catherine de Berger, the Countess of Chester Hospital’s head of work health and bell being, had asked Letby to write down her feelings as a way of coping with stress.
‘Letby’s confession note was absolutely meaningless’
David Wilson, Professor of Criminal Science at Birmingham City University and serial killer expert, said that in his opinion Lucy’s so-called confession note was absolutely meaningless and had no importance as evidence. Especially since it was written during counseling. He said – Many people say such things when they are under stress and feel helpless, they have no meaning except to relieve the stress of the mind.
Letby was convicted in August 2023 of murdering seven newborn babies and attempting to murder six others.
Notes were written between 2016 and 2018
While it is being said that these alleged confession notes were written sometime between July 2016, after being removed from the ward, and Letby’s arrest in July 2018. During this time, she was removed from nursing duty after several deaths in the hospital. According to sources, she was asked not to talk to her colleagues and so she was feeling isolated and sad. On the other hand, nursing sources claim that Letby was well aware that senior consultants were openly talking about a serial killer in the unit, so all this cannot be related to stress.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)