'Lucy Letby's calm composure was unnerving' - The story of inside the court room from Sophie Reaper
Lucy Letby's appearance whenever in court was calm and composed
PA
Last week, I marked one year as North West of England reporter at GB News. It also marked 365 days since my first ever live broadcast. Of course, back then, I had no idea that, within the first 12 months of my career, I would face covering the biggest court case of the decade.
It’s October 10th, last year. I arrived at Manchester Crown Court, feeling trepidatious but prepared for what we already know will be a long slog of a trial. Initial estimates suggest the trial will take us well into late Winter, or maybe even Spring. Nobody could have predicted we would still be underway in August, after almost an entire year has elapsed.
The trial begins, and I get to see Lucy Letby in the dock for the first time. Well, via a video link. Due to the intense interest in this case, most of the press have followed the trial from a separate media annexe. We weren’t physically in the room, but we could see and hear everything that transpired in those four walls.
I remember being struck by just how normal Letby looked. It seemed improbable that this woman could be capable of such heinous crimes. She was just so calm. It was unnerving.
A hand written note found by police in at Letby's home at Westbourne Road, ChesteRPALead prosecutor, Nick Johnson KC, walked the jury through each of the incidents Letby was accused of carrying out. He described her actions as “calculated” and “cold-blooded”, emphasising that she had been the only member of staff present for all 22 of the incidents.
And then, just four days into the trial, came a piece of evidence that, in my opinion, set the tone of guilt from the very start. A post-it note, found in Lucy Letby’s home. On it, she’d written things like “I killed them on purpose because I am not good enough” and “I am evil I did this.”
I could not believe it. Just four days in, we had seen what I felt was handwritten proof of Lucy Letby’s guilt. But perhaps I was naïve – I know now things are never that straightforward in a court of law.
Over the coming weeks and months, I returned to Manchester Crown Court on a regular basis. Whenever there was strong evidence, or a key witness, I was back. But even when I wasn’t there in person, the trial always remained in the back of my mind.
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It’s hard to explain, but as a reporter, you become incredibly invested in the stories you cover. Especially when they go on for as long as this one.
When the jury went out on the 10th of July, I was overcome with a strange sense of relief. Something that had been on my mind constantly for best part of nine months would soon be over. But that was not to be the case.
After ten days of deliberation, those of us in the media annexe were becoming restless. Surely it couldn’t go on for much longer?
By day 15 of the jury being out, we had reached fever pitch. The atmosphere was unbelievably tense as we continued to prepare for the verdicts as best we could.
And then, at last, some news. The jury returned and delivered two guilty verdicts: the attempted murders of Child F and Child L. Hearing this, Letby broke down. Her tears flowed as she realised that a prison sentence was now guaranteed.
After three more days of deliberations, we heard the first guilty verdict for murder. In fact, we heard four. Upon hearing this, Letby’s demeanour was different. She remained stony-faced and unmoved. Clearly, she had accepted her fate.
Letby was arrested in July 2018 after a year-long police investigation into high infant mortality rates at the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unitPAHer mother on the other hand, was inconsolable. It was gut-wrenching to listen to a mother react to finding out her only child is a killer.
By the final day of jury deliberations, we had heard a total of 14 guilty verdicts: seven counts of murder, seven counts of attempted murder. Lucy Letby had become the most prolific child serial killer in modern British history.
Today, she faced sentencing. And yet, despite the pain she has caused, she refused to appear in the dock to face her victim’s families and hear their impact statements.
The court sat in a state of silent heartbreak as, one by one, we heard the consequences of Lucy Letby’s crimes. I’m not ashamed to say that I was brought to tears.
The mother of Child C, whom Lucy Letby murdered back in 2015, captured the feeling in the room perfectly when she described her experience as “like something out of a horror story.”
This trial has pushed me to my reporting limits and shaken me to my very core. Back in October – just two months into my career – I had no idea what this trial would go onto become. Some days were hard, other days were harder. But every day, it has been a privilege to be entrusted with such a sensitive and difficult story.
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