Lucy Letby's boss said 'you astound me' after killer nurse stopped from caring for babies

The Thirlwall Inquiry into slayer caregiver Lucy Letby's crimes heard from erstwhile infirmary main enforcement Tony Chambers, who said helium told the 34-year-old 'you astound me' during a meeting

A infirmary brag told slayer caregiver Lucy Letby "you astound me" aft she was stopped from looking aft babies implicit fears she was hurting them.

The speech betwixt Letby and then-hospital main enforcement Tony Chambers took spot successful December 2016 - a fewer months aft the child serial killer was moved to an administrative relation astatine the NHS Countess of Chester Hospital amid fears from advisor paediatricians that she whitethorn person been deliberately harming infants. Letby past went connected to motorboat a grievance against her employers, which was upheld successful December, implicit the determination to region her from the neonatal unit.

The Thirlwall Inquiry into events surrounding Letby’s crimes heard that now-convicted murderer Letby was said to person felt consultants Dr Stephen Brearey and Dr Ravi Jayaram had “orchestrated a campaign” against her and that immoderate doctors connected the portion referred to her publically arsenic “angel of death” and “murderer connected the unit”. In a gathering betwixt Letby, her parents, John and Sue, and Mr Chambers connected December 22 2016, dada Mr Letby called for the “instant dismissal” of the 2 consultants.

Mr Chambers told the enquiry that the begetter was "very angry" and began "making threats" during the meeting. Giving grounds connected Wednesday, Mr Chambers said: “Letby’s family, it is just to say, were precise upset and precise aggravated astir however they felt she had been treated unfairly by the trust. I’m prepared to judge that we had not been unfastened and honorable with her astatine the time. Letby’s begetter was precise angry, helium was making threats. He was making threats that would person conscionable made an already hard concern adjacent worse by threatening GMC (General Medical Council) referrals to the doctors. He was threatening guns to my caput and each sorts of things.”

During the meeting, Mr Chambers told Letby: “Your resilience, Lucy, you astound me.” Mr Chambers told the inquiry: “I accidental it twice.”

Counsel to the enquiry Nicholas de la Poer KC asked: “Have you ever made specified a connection successful narration to the consultants for the bravery they showed erstwhile trying to talk retired to support babies safe?” Mr Chambers said: “Yes, successful galore of the meetings that took spot during July 2016. If you look astatine the notes, each of the gathering notes extremity with a notation to thanking everyone for their contributions, for their unfastened candid contributions to the treatment and a precise wide connection astir these matters being truly difficult, let’s instrumentality attraction and look aft each other.”

Mr Chambers went connected to inquire the consultants to apologise to Letby for the alleged derogatory remarks, the enquiry has heard, and a follow-up gathering took spot with Letby and her parent successful aboriginal February 2017. Letby told Mr Chambers she wanted idiosyncratic apologies from 4 consultants successful particular.

Mr de la Poer said: “Bringing successful hindsight, she is sitting determination knowing the crimes she has committed. Would you hold that was profoundly manipulative behaviour?”

Mr Chambers said: “I person to accidental I didn’t consciousness I was manipulated astatine the time, I truly don’t know. It was her begetter who seemed to beryllium pulling the strings arsenic opposed to herself. In handling these matters with Letby, I was precise conscious to effort arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable to debar further escalation peculiarly from her father. Her begetter was not astatine this gathering but you got a consciousness of his presence.”

Mr Chambers besides told Letby: “Lucy, don’t worry, we person got your back.” Asked for his effect to that comment, Mr Chambers said: “Clumsy language. The volition present was to debar immoderate imaginable escalation. Eight years connected with what we cognize and we look astatine this, these are the benignant of things you cognize you didn’t get right.”

Letby, 34, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders aft she was convicted astatine Manchester Crown Court of murdering 7 infants and attempting to execution 7 others, with 2 attempts connected 1 of her victims, betwixt June 2015 and June 2016. The Thirlwall Inquiry, which is taking spot astatine Liverpool Town Hall earlier Lady Justice Thirlwall, is expected to beryllium until aboriginal 2025 with findings published by precocious autumn that year.