A British nurse who was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of six others will be retried on an outstanding charge of attempted murder, state prosecutors said on Monday.
Lucy Letby (33) was sentenced last month in connection with the murder of five baby boys and two baby girls. This makes her Britain’s worst child serial killer in modern times.
However, the jury in the months-long trial at Manchester Crown Court could not reach a decision on six charges of attempted murder of five babies.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which handles prosecutions in England and Wales, said it would retrial the charge that Letby attempted to kill a baby girl in February 2016.
A preliminary court date has been set for 10 June next year, also at the Manchester Crown Court in the north-west of England.
Jonathan Storer, chief public prosecutor at the CPS, said the decision to undertake a retrial was “extremely complicated and difficult”.
“Before we make a decision, we listen carefully to the views of the families involved, the police and the public prosecutor’s council,” he said. “Many factors were considered, including the evidence heard by the court during the lengthy trial and the impact of proceeding with a prosecution.”
Letby was arrested following a series of deaths at the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital in north-west England between June 2015 and June 2016.
She has consistently denied all charges against her.
Letby attended Monday’s hearing via a video link from a conference room at a prison near Wakefield. She only confirmed her name and that she could hear and see the proceedings.
