Throughout her lengthy trial at Manchester Crown Court, Lucy Letby remained notably emotionless as the prosecution detailed her evil crimes. That is, until her 'crush' was called to the stand.
The object of Letby's alleged affections, known only as Dr A, gave evidence against the killer nurse, who seemed visibly shaken as he made his appearance, even going as far as to try and leave the dock altogether, claiming she felt 'unwell'. Not believing this story, prosecutor Nick Johnson replied: "No, it's because you didn't like hearing your boyfriend giving evidence, did you?"
The married hospital medic, who cannot be named for legal reasons, exchanged supportive texts with Letby, 34, in the aftermath of the tragic deaths at the Countess of Chester Hospital. Letby referred to the senior doctor as 'sweetie' in messages often punctuated with heart emojis, and remarked that he was a 'man of many talents' in social media exchanges.
The prosecution suggested this relationship went beyond that of friendly co-workers, and even alleged that Letby killed two of her vulnerable victims in a callous bid to get his attention.
As Letby receives another whole life order for the attempted murder of Child K, the Mirror takes a look at the serial killer's alleged flirtation with a man she referred to as her 'best friend'...
Coffee dates and London trips
After Letby was removed from the neonatal ward in June 2016, she and Dr A continued to meet up for coffee, dinners, and shopping trips, and he also paid a visit to the Chester home she shared with her two cats, Tigger and Smudge. The pair even enjoyed a day trip to London together.
Dr A was described by prosecutors as Letby's 'boyfriend', but the killer nurse protested: "I loved him as a friend. I was not in love with him."
Co-worker teasing
The jury heard how Letby and Dr A had messaged each other frequently both at work and at home, while fellow nurses teased her about their supposed 'flirting'. In one text seen by the jury, Letby told a co-worker she'd received a 'strange message' from Dr A, to which her pal replied: "Did you? Saying what? Go Commando (laughing face emoji)." Letby then responded with four laughing face emojis but, when later questioned during her trial, denied knowing what 'go commando' meant.
When asked about her relationship with Dr A in court, Letby denied she 'had a crush' on him. In another message, the disgraced nurse's friend said 'think he [Dr A] likes u too', adding that the medic was 'as flirty as u'. Letby protested: “Shut up... I don't flirt with him! [...] Certainly don't fancy him haha just nice guy."
Shocking bid for 'attention'
After getting back to work after a holiday in Ibiza, Letby expressed disappointment that she and Dr A wouldn't be working the same shift, texting him, 'boo'. Later that very same day, Letby called for Dr A's assistance after the unexpected collapse of Child O - a healthy baby whose family was preparing to bring him home.
Sickeningly, the prosecution alleged that Letby had deliberately injected air into Child O's nasogastric tube as she'd wanted Dr A to come running to her aid. Prosecutor Mr Johnson asked Letby: "Did you want to get his attention? Is that the reason you sabotaged Child O?" She denied this allegation.
The following day, Child O's triplet brother Child P collapsed while Letby was on duty, with Dr A once again responding to the emergency crash call. Mr Johnson asked: "Did you enjoy being in these crisis situations with Dr A. Did it give you something to talk about and message about?" Denying this, Letby said: "No, Dr A and I were friends."
Reassurances
The court heard how Letby had sought reassurance from Dr A after another medic raised concerns about a child who had fallen ill. Offering encouragement, Dr A told her: "No more doubt, it is not you, it is the babies." He added: "You are one of a few nurses in the region (I've worked pretty much everywhere) that I would trust with my own children."
Secret admissions
A note found at Letby's home, which included Dr A's name, appeared to indicate that she harboured strong feelings toward him. The 'copious writer of notes' had written: "My best friend. Love, I loved you and I think you knew that. I trusted you with everything... I wanted you to stand by me but you didn't."
This comes after Letby was once again jailed for life after a retrial for the attempted murder of the 'very premature' Child K by displacing her breathing tube. Consultant paediatrician Dr Ravi Jayaram told the jury how he'd caught Letby 'virtually red-handed' standing beside the premature baby's incubator, doing nothing to assist as the little girl's blood oxygen levels dropped dangerously.
The baby recovered, and her tube was dislodged twice more that night, with prosecutors alleging Letby had tried to make it appear as though she'd moved it herself. Child K, who was born at 25 weeks gestation, was transferred to a specialist neo-natal clinic but tragically died three days later.
The retrial was ordered on a single allegation concerning Child K, after the first jury was unable to reach a verdict. This week, a second jury took just three and a half hours to convict Letby, who was previously convicted of the murders of seven babies at the unit between June 2015 and June 2016, as well as the attempted murders of six others.
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