Latest news with #LucyLetby
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
How ‘Argentina's Lucy Letby' murdered 5 newborns & tried to kill 8 more in chillingly similar case to UK's baby killer
A NURSE in Argentina has been sentenced to life in prison for ruthlessly murdering five newborns and trying to kill eight others. The case bears chilling similarities to that of Brit baby murderer Lucy Letby, the nurse who is serving 15 whole-life sentences for killing seven babies and attempting to murder seven more. 9 9 Brenda Cecilia Aguero, 29, stole deadly doses of potassium and insulin before injecting them into newborn babies between March and June of 2022, prosecutors said. Similarly, Letby was accused of injecting air and insulin into the babies, as well as overfeeding them milk - but has always maintained her innocence. Many have cast doubt over Letby's convictions and others suggest she was targeted in a 'witch hunt'. In the chilling Argentine case, newborns tragically died initially under unexplained circumstances in a maternity hospital in Cordoba province, north-west of Buenos Aires. Baby killer Aguero tried to murder eight other babies between March and June of 2022, but they managed to receive rapid, live-saving medical intervention, local media reports. The 29-year-old will serve at least 35 years in prison before being eligible for parole, under Argentine law. Aguero's mum, Cristina Nobile, mainains her daughter's innocence and told reporters she would continue to press to have her conviction overturned. She added: "My daughter is innocent, and I will continue fighting." Prosecutors alleged during the trial that Aguero's motivation behind the wicked killings was to further her career. They say that she attacked the newborns in order to be the first to notice their symptoms and consequently impress her bosses. But with five newborns dying within such a short space of time, the country's Health Ministry launched a probe. An alarming pattern was noticed, with babies having unexplained puncture marks in areas where injections weren't typically administered. Toxicology reports revealed that several of the babies had potassium or insulin levels that they couldn't have produced naturally. And prosecutors argued that Aguero was the only person present during all the harrowing incidents and has "exclusive proximity" to the mums and their babies. Aguero denied the charges and told the court "they have no evidence". She also accused the media of portraying her as a "serial killer". Ten other defendants, including the former health minister in Cordoba as well as the former hospital director, were accused of attempting to cover up the incidents and destroy evidence. Five were found guilty but received shorter sentences, and the five others were acquitted - including the former provincial officials, local media reported. 9 9 9 The case bears chilling similarities to that of Brit Letby, now 34, who was last year given a whole life order in prison for the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of seven more at Countess of Chester Hospital. During her ten-month trial, which ended last August when she received a whole life sentence, it was revealed she injected her victims with air or insulin, overfed them and physically abused them with medical tools. An application to appeal against her sentence was rejected in February of this year. She was convicted across two trials at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others. The 35-year-old from Hereford is serving 15 whole-life orders. She lost two attempts to challenged her convictions at the Court of Appeal last year. Separately, Dutch nurse Lucia de Berk was found guilty of killing seven and attempting to kill three of her young patients in 2003 and 2004. Just like Letby's case, prosecutors claimed the smoking gun evidence came from a string of 'sinister' diary entries — and hospital shift patterns which revealed she had been present at all of the deaths. 9 9 9 De Berk spent five years behind bars at Scheveningen prison before the case went to the appeal court and was acquitted in 2010. During police raids on Brit Letby's home after her arrest, officers took a specific interest in her diary, as well as other notes found in her bedroom. One such scrawling, which went on to form a key part of the case against her, said: 'I am evil, I did this.' It was emblazoned on a bright Post-It, alongside another saying: 'I killed them on purpose because I'm not good enough.' Her diary, meanwhile, found in a bedside drawer, was thought to have contained a sadistic trail of breadcrumbs. These included coloured asterisks, as well as initials and words added to days that occasionally coincided with the dates of deaths or attacks she was later found guilty of. Timeline of horror - how Letby targeted babies LUCY Letby carried out her horrific crimes over a 12-month period at Countess of Chester Hospital. She used insulin and air to inject newborns while working on the neo-natal ward. The collapses and deaths of the children were not 'naturally-occurring tragedies' and instead the gruesome work of 'poisoner' Letby. Her rampage was finally uncovered after staff grew suspicious of the "significant rise" in the number of babies dying or suffering "catastrophic" collapses. Letby was found to be the "common denominator" among the horrifying incidents. Officers then searched her three-bedroom home in Chester and discovered a chilling cache of evidence. The nurse had scribbled haunting notes in diaries and on Post-It notes, including one that read: "I am evil I did this." The note added: "I don't deserve to live. I killed them on purpose because I'm not good enough to care for them. "I am a horrible person." A probe into whether Letby harmed any other babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital and Liverpool Women's Hospital is ongoing. A corporate manslaughter investigation is also ongoing, as is now a gross negligence manslaughter one.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Nurse murders five babies and attempts to kill eight more in Argentina
A nurse was yesterday sentenced to life in prison for killing five babies and attempting to murder eight others at a hospital in Argentina. Brenda Cecilia Aguero injected potassium and insulin into newborns between March and June 2022, taking doses from emergency medical carts without inventory control, prosecutors said. Under Argentine law, Aguero will not be eligible for parole before serving 35 years. The babies, all born healthy, died under initially unexplained circumstances at the neonatal ward of the maternity and child hospital in Cordoba province, 370 miles (600 km) northwest of Buenos Aires. Eight others survived due to swift medical intervention. The horrifying case bore a stark resemblance to that of Lucy Letby in the UK. Letby, 35, was found guilty of murdering seven children and attempting to murder seven more between June 2015 and June 2016 while working in the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital in Chester, northern England. The Argentine trial also brought charges against 10 other defendants, including former provincial officials and health professionals for cover-up and dereliction of duty. Those charged included a former health minister and secretary of health of Cordoba province, as well as the former hospital director. Aguero, who was arrested in 2022, denied the charges, earlier telling the court 'they have no evidence' and accusing media of portraying her as a 'serial killer.' Judge Patricia Soria, who presided over the case, shed tears as she read a statement of thanks to jurors at the end of the trial, such was the horrifying nature of the case, the likes of which were unprecedented in Argentina. Aguero was promptly led from the courtroom in handcuffs and transferred to Bouwer Prison near Cordoba following the conclusion of the trial yesterday evening. Besides Aguero, the accused included former provincial health minister Diego Cardozo; former hospital director Liliana Asís; former deputy director and head of obstetrics Claudia Ringelheim; former deputy director of administrative management Julio Escudero Salama; former health secretary Pablo Carvajal; former head of legal affairs Alejandro Gauto; former head of nursing Alicia Beatriz Ariza; former head of neonatology Marta Gómez Flores; doctor María Alejandra Luján, who signed several death certificates and allegedly failed to report the deaths; and neonatologist Adriana Luisa Moralez, head of the hospital's Patient Safety Committee. The jury acquitted Ariza, Luján, Ringelheim, Gauto and Cardozo. The remaining officials were found guilty and received varying sentences, according to local outlet Infobae. Earlier in the trial, prosecutors argued that Aguero was motivated by career ambitions, according to Infobae. She was said to have harmed the babies to be the first to detect their symptoms, raise the alarm, and impress her superiors in hopes of being promoted from the obstetrics ward to the neonatal unit. But the spate of sudden deaths and disturbing symptoms among the babies raised suspicions. Of the 13 victims examined, many bore unexplained puncture marks in areas not typically used for injections. Several had potassium and or insulin levels in their blood incompatible with life, which experts said could only have resulted from external injection, according to Infobae's report. Meanwhile, in the UK, former health secretary Sir Jeremy Hunt this month called for an 'urgent re-examination' of the case of Lucy Letby, just months after he apologised to the families of her victims at a public inquiry. The Conservative Member of Parliament pleaded for the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which investigates potential miscarriages of justice, to 'speed up their normally painfully slow process'. The CCRC is considering evidence presented by Letby's legal team from an international panel of medics who claim poor medical care and natural causes were the reasons for the babies collapsing at the Countess of Chester Hospital's neonatal unit. The former nurse is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted across two trials at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others. Giving evidence in January at the Thirlwall Inquiry over Letby's crimes, Sir Jeremy – who was Health Secretary between 2012 and 2018 – acknowledged the 'appalling crime' took place under his watch. Lawyers for the families of Letby's victims have dismissed the CCRC investigation as being 'full of analytical holes' and 'a rehash' of the defence case heard at trial. Letby, from Hereford, lost two bids last year to challenge her convictions at the Court of Appeal, in May for seven murders and seven attempted murders, and in October for the attempted murder of a baby girl which she was convicted of by a different jury at a retrial. Cheshire Constabulary is continuing a review of deaths and non-fatal collapses of babies at the neonatal units of the Countess of Chester and Liverpool Women's Hospital during Letby's time as a nurse from 2012 to 2016. A separate probe by the force into corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter at the Countess of Chester Hospital also remains ongoing.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Telegraph
Argentine ‘Lucy Letby' jailed for murder of five babies
A nurse has been sentenced to life in prison for killing five babies and attempting to murder eight others at a hospital in Argentina. Brenda Cecilia Aguero injected potassium and insulin into newborns between March and June 2022, taking doses from emergency medical carts without inventory control, prosecutors said. The court clerk in Córdoba read out the sentencing in footage broadcast on local media on Wednesday. Under Argentine law, Aguero will serve at least 35 years in prison, at which point she will be eligible for parole, local media reported. The case in Argentina bears similarities to that of Lucy Letby in the UK. The British nurse is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims, between June 2015 and June 2016. She was accused of injecting air and insulin into the babies, and overfeeding milk. But Letby has always maintained her innocence. The babies, all born healthy, died under initially unexplained circumstances at the neonatal ward of the maternal and child hospital in Cordoba province, 370 miles north-west of Buenos Aires. Eight others survived owing to swift medical intervention. Aguero's mother, Cristina Nobile, told reporters after the sentencing hearing that she would fight to have her daughter's conviction overturned. 'My daughter is innocent, and I will continue fighting,' she said. The trial also brought charges against 10 other defendants including former provincial officials and health professionals for cover-up and dereliction of duty. Those charged included a former health minister and secretary of health of Cordoba province, as well as the former hospital director. Aguero, who was arrested in 2022, denied the charges, earlier telling the court 'they have no evidence' and accusing the media of portraying her as a 'serial killer.' Of the other defendants, five were found guilty but received lesser sentences while five others were acquitted, including the former provincial officials, according to local outlet Infobae. It comes almost two years after Lucy Letby was first found guilty in the UK in August 2023. Letby, from Hereford, lost two bids last year to challenge her convictions at the Court of Appeal, in May for seven murders and seven attempted murders, and in October for the attempted murder of a baby girl, which she was convicted of by a different jury at a retrial. However, there are growing fears that her case could be a miscarriage of justice amid questions over how evidence was presented in her trials. In February this year, in an unprecedented intervention into the conviction, 14 world-leading experts in neonatology and child health reviewed the 17 deaths and collapses of infants at the Countess of Chester Hospital and found that all had medical explanations. Cheshire Constabulary is continuing a review of deaths and non-fatal collapses of babies at the neonatal units of the Countess of Chester and Liverpool Women's Hospital during Letby's time as a nurse from 2012 to 2016. A separate probe by the force into corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter at the Countess of Chester Hospital also remains ongoing. Lady Justice Thirlwall is due to publish the findings from her public inquiry in early 2026.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Jeremy Hunt says Lucy Letby's case must be urgently re-examined
Sir Jeremy Hunt is calling for an 'urgent re-examination' of the case of convicted murderer Lucy Letby. It comes just months after the former health secretary apologised to the families of the former nurse's victims at a public inquiry. The Conservative MP pleaded for the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) to 'speed up their normally painfully slow process'. The CCRC, which investigates potential miscarriages of justice, is considering evidence presented by Letby's legal team from an international panel of medics. They claim that poor medical care and natural causes were to blame for the babies collapsing at the Countess of Chester Hospital's neonatal unit. Letby, 35, is serving 15 whole-life orders after being convicted across two trials at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims, between June 2015 and June 2016. Giving evidence in January at the Thirlwall Inquiry over Letby's crimes, Sir Jeremy – who was health secretary between 2012 and 2018 – acknowledged the 'appalling crime' took place under his watch. He said he bore ultimate responsibility for the NHS 'insofar as lessons were not learned from previous inquiries that could have been or the right systems were not in place'. Lucy Letby has been convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others (PA Media) He said: 'I want to put on the record my apologies to the families for anything that did not happen that potentially could have prevented such an appalling crime.' Writing in the Daily Mail on Wednesday, Sir Jeremy said: 'I am not arguing that Letby is innocent. That is not my place. I believe in the separation of powers. It must never be the role of any politician to second-guess the outcome of any court decision, let alone a jury trial. 'The pain endured by the families affected must also be at the forefront of our minds. Their suffering is beyond our comprehension and they deserve compassion, respect and ongoing support. 'But most of all, they deserve the truth. And recently, some have begun to cast doubt on what actually happened. Were those tragic deaths caused by an evil woman or were they the result of medical error? 'As someone who has campaigned for more than a decade to reduce avoidable death, that matters to me. 'If Letby really did kill seven babies in their cots and attempted to kill seven more, no punishment short of the death penalty is too harsh. But if they were caused by professional shortcomings, we need to know why. 'More than anything else, we need to make sure other families don't have to go through the same tragedy.' Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt apologised at the Thirlwall Inquiry to families of the victims of Lucy Letby (PA) Sir Jeremy said he had noted the findings of the international panel of paediatric specialists and neonatologists, and had also read a 'wide range of expert concerns about the conduct of the criminal case'. He said: 'Taken together – and it pains me to say it – this analysis raises serious and credible questions about the evidence presented in court, the robustness of expert testimony and the interpretation of statistical data. 'That is why I and parliamentary colleagues such as Sir David Davis, now believe the time has come for these concerns to be addressed as a matter of urgency.' He continued: 'While there is such a high degree of speculation about the potentially unfair prosecution of a healthcare professional, others will feel much more nervous about coming forward about mistakes they may have made. Lessons will not be learned and more babies will die. 'Justice must be done and seen to be done. And that means the CCRC has to speed up their normally painfully slow process.' He added that 'none of this should diminish the compassion we owe the families who have already suffered so much'. He said: 'Re-examination of the evidence is not a denial of their pain. But it will ensure that all of us can have confidence that the truth has been reached through a rigorous and fair process. 'And if medical error was the cause, we can then make sure no more babies die from the same mistakes.' Lucy Letby: Timeline of nurse who murdered seven babies Lawyers for the families of Letby's victims dismissed the medical panel's conclusions as 'full of analytical holes' and 'a rehash' of the defence case heard at trial. The mother of a baby boy who Letby attempted to murder said the families 'already have the truth'. They believe in the British justice system and the jury made the right decision, she said. The mother of another boy, Baby C, who Letby was convicted of murdering, told the Thirlwall Inquiry: 'The media PR campaign aimed to garner public sympathy for Letby demonstrates a complete lack of understanding for Letby's crimes and the complexity of the case. 'The misinformed and inaccurate media circus surrounding this case, our son and the other babies is potentiating the distress of all of the families involved.' Letby, from Hereford, lost two bids in 2024 to challenge her convictions at the Court of Appeal. One was in May, for seven murders and six attempted murders, and one was in October for the attempted murder of a baby girl, which she was convicted of by a different jury at a retrial. Cheshire Constabulary is continuing a review of deaths and non-fatal collapses of babies at the neonatal units of the Countess of Chester and Liverpool Women's Hospital during Letby's time as a nurse from 2012 to 2016. A separate probe by the force into corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter at the Countess of Chester Hospital also remains ongoing. Lady Justice Thirlwall is due to publish the findings from her public inquiry in early 2026.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Lucy Letby: Jeremy Hunt calls for 'urgent re-examination' of killer nurse case
Former health secretary Sir Jeremy Hunt has called for an "urgent re-examination" of the Lucy Letby case after "serious and credible" questions were raised by Conservative MP pleaded for the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which investigates potential miscarriages of justice, to "speed up their normally painfully slow process". The CCRC is considering evidence presented by Letby's legal team from an international panel of medics claiming poor medical care and natural causes were the real reasons for the deaths of the babies she was found guilty of said he and parliamentary colleagues such as Sir David Davis "now believe the time has come for these concerns to be addressed as a matter of urgency". Former nurse Letby, 35, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others between June 2015 and June 2016 at the Countess of Chester said he had noted the findings of the international panel of paediatric specialists and neonatologists, and had also read a "wide range of expert concerns about the conduct of the criminal case".He said: "Taken together - and it pains me to say it - this analysis raises serious and credible questions about the evidence presented in court, the robustness of expert testimony and the interpretation of statistical data."Giving evidence in January at the Thirlwall Inquiry into Letby's crimes, Hunt said: "I want to put on the record my apologies to the families for anything that did not happen that potentially could have prevented such an appalling crime." Writing in the Daily Mail newspaper on Wednesday, Hunt said he was not arguing that Letby is innocent, adding that "the pain endured by the families affected must also be at the forefront of our minds", but they deserved the truth."And recently, some have begun to cast doubt on what actually happened," Hunt said. "Were those tragic deaths caused by an evil woman or were they the result of medical error?"He said justice "must be done and seen to be done", adding that re-examination of the evidence was not a denial of the families' pain but would "ensure that all of us can have confidence that the truth has been reached through a rigorous and fair process"."And if medical error was the cause, we can then make sure no more babies die from the same mistakes," he added. Lawyers for the families of Letby's victims have dismissed the medical panel's conclusions as "full of analytical holes" and "a rehash" of the defence case heard at mother of one baby boy who Letby attempted to murder said the families "already have the truth" and they believed in the British justice system and that the jury made the right Constabulary is continuing a review of deaths and collapses of babies at the neonatal units of the Countess of Chester and Liverpool Women's Hospital during Letby's time as a nurse from 2012 to 2016.A separate inquiry by the force into corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter at the Countess is Justice Thirlwall is due to publish the findings from her public inquiry in early 2026. Read more stories from Cheshire on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC North West on X. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
