Lucy Letby sentenced to life in prison as 4,000 cases to be reviewed amid fears trial is just tip of the iceberg

Police and medical experts fear that she may have hurt more than 30 more additional infants.

Those who have been found to have suffered “unexpected and unexplained” collapses will be passed on to the police.

Letby is the third British woman alive to be sentenced to life in prison.

She did not appear in the dock to hear the verdict, as well as her parents John and Susan, who have previously been present in court.

Sentencing Letby, Justice Goss said: “This was a cruel, calculated, and cynical campaign of child murder involving the smallest and most vulnerable of children, knowing that your actions were causing significant physical suffering and would cause untold mental suffering.

“There was a deep malevolence bordering on sadism in your actions.”

The worst child serial killer is modern British history could have had even more victims, as experts begin to investigate the medical records of infants who were in hospital whilst Letby was a working nurse.

A source, as reported by the Guardian, said detectives had identified about 30 babies who suffered “suspicious” incidents at the Countess of Chester Hospital, when Letby was on duty.

The 30 babies identified as being harmed are in addition to the 17 infants who have been mentioned as part of Letby’s trial.

Police are also analysing the medical records of babies born at Liverpool women’s hospital where Letby completed work placements in 2012 and 2016.

Her absence at court has meant that she has avoided listening to family’s statements, discussing how her actions have devastated their lives.

She was found guilty of murdering seven babies and trying to kill an additional six in “persistent, calculated and cold-blooded” attacks on Friday.

Letby was found not guilty of two counts of attempted murder and the jury at Manchester Crown Court could not decide whether she tried to kill another four.

However, additional babies are now being identified as potential Letby victims.

Detectives have discovered a further 30 plus infants who suffered “suspicious” injuries when Letby was on duty at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

It is “impossible” to put a number on the number of infants affected as the case is still ongoing, Cheshire Police have said.

Det Supt Paul Hughes, who is leading the 70 detectives on the case, has confirmed that there are “active investigations” into the collapse of babies, and that their families are being supported by specially trained officers.

He said: “From 2012 through to 2016, there were more than 4,000 admissions of babies into the neo-natal units of both the Countess of Chester hospital and the Liverpool women’s hospital for us to work through.

“This does not mean we are investigating all 4,000, it just means that we are committed to a thorough review of every admission from a medical perspective, to ensure that nothing is missed throughout the entirety of her employment as a nurse. Only those cases highlighted as concerning medically will be investigated further.”

After examining the 4,000 records, those deemed suspicious will be sent to the police.

The police will send those cases to either the Countess of Cheshire Hospital or Liverpool women’s hospital to determine what the cause for the baby’s collapse was.

If harm is considered likely, then they will be analysed by medical experts as instructed by police.

Letby carried out the murders whilst she was in her mid-twenties.

She injected air into the babies which would often shatter their diaphragms.

In another case, she pushed a tube down an infant’s throat.