Lucy Letby breaks down in tears while giving evidence on deaths of babies in hospital : 'At times I didn’t want to live'

Court began this morning with Benjamin Myers KC of the defence questioning Letby about how she grew up and the education she had had in order to become a nurse.

She told him that she had “always wanted to work with children.”

Myers then moved on to the period between 2015 and 2016 in which Lucy Letby is accused of carrying out what she has been charged with.

The former nurse told the court that over that time, she must have cared for “hundreds” of babies.

She said: “I only ever did my best to care for them.”

After she was removed from a clinical role, Letby recalled being “devastated,” adding: “I’ve always prided myself on being competent.”

In September of 2016, she learned she was being accused of harming some of the babies she had cared for.

She recalled feeling sickened by this, stating “I don’t think you can be accused of anything worse than that.”

Following the accusations, she said: “I just changed as a person… my mental health deteriorated.”

She also told the court that she was the diagnosed with depression and anxiety, and that the GP had placed her on anti-depressant medication as a result.

When pressed by Myers, Letby told the jury: “There were times when I didn’t want to live,” and that “I thought of killing myself.”

He then moved on to asking the defendant about a post-it note that was found in her home following her arrest.

He asked her why she had written things like: “I am an awful person” and “I am not good enough.”

She responded by explaining that, at that time, the accusations had made her feel as though she wasn’t good enough, and that if she had made mistakes without realising, she must be an evil person.

The trial continues.