A senior manager at the hospital where Lucy Letby murdered babies sent her messages urging her to “suck it up, girl” after consultants accused her of harming patients.
Karen Rees admitted she got “too close” to the nurse after she was taken from the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
The public inquiry was told that Ms Rees, who was director of nursing for urgent care, supported Letby when she made her complaint against the Trust, even telling bosses it was “immoral” that she had been removed from the trust. frontline nursing.
In one text message, sent in May 2017, almost a year after Letby was kicked out of the unit, Mrs Rees wrote: “Wait girl… your nursing team is totally behind you.” We’ll get through this, hahaha (lots of love) K.’
In another, sent on New Year’s Day 2018, she wished Letby a happy new year, adding: “Hopefully you close this year, I’m so proud of you and the professional way you’ve presented yourself throughout.”
A senior Countess of Chester manager urged Lucy Letby (pictured) to “suck it up, girl” as consultants accused her of harming babies.
Karen Rees admitted to the inquest that she became “too close” to Letby after the murderous nurse was removed from the neonatal unit.
Ms Rees continued to contact Letby even after she was arrested by police, writing in December 2018: “Just to let you know we are constantly thinking of you, I hope you have a nice Christmas with your family during this stressful time.”
Asked if she had gotten too close to Letby, Mrs Rees admitted: “Yes, because I was tasked with meeting her almost weekly for two years and witnessed her distress.”
She said Letby was “absolutely devastated” when she was moved to an administrative position and “kept crying”, which was “appalling” to see.
“I witnessed her and she was absolutely devastated,” Mrs Rees said. “She kept crying and asking, ‘Why are they doing this to me? I haven’t done anything wrong, I’m not going to let them leave me without a job that I love.'”
“I guess she spent months like this, distraught… I remember looking at her and thinking, ‘This is terrible.'”
While he said he appreciated the enormity of the allegations, witnessing Letby’s “anguish” week after week was difficult, Rees added.
The inquiry was shown minutes of a meeting that took place between Ms Rees, the hospital’s chief executive, Tony Chambers, Letby and her parents, John and Sue, after she won her complaint.
Letby told senior managers she “hoped” four of the consultants would apologize to her.
Her parents also said they would “take advice” if their daughter’s name were leaked to the press.
Rachel Langdale KC, counsel for the inquiry, asked: “Whose needs were paramount in this meeting?”
Mrs Rees replied: “Clearly Lucy Letby and her parents.”
Mrs Langdale added: “There was no reference to the safety of babies at that meeting, was there?”
“No,” she replied.
Letby told senior managers she “hoped” four consultants she accused of harming patients would apologize to her.
An aerial view of the Countess of Chester hospital. Letby murdered seven babies and attempted to kill seven others during 13 months in hospital.
Letby, 34, murdered seven babies and attempted to murder seven more during a 13-month murder spree at the hospital between June 2015 and June 2016. He is serving a life sentence and will die in prison.
It emerged yesterday that babies suffered life-threatening incidents in almost a third of the 33 shifts Letby worked while on two separate student placements at Liverpool Women’s Hospital in 2012 and 2015.
According to BBC Panorama, in one case in November 2012, a baby Letby was caring for collapsed and water was later discovered in his breathing tube, which experts say is very irregular.
The inquest has already heard that babies’ breathing tubes became dislodged on 40 per cent of Letby’s shifts at the Liverpool hospital. The average of these displacements is one percent, said Richard Baker KC, representing the families.
Letby was found guilty of attempting to murder two baby boys with insulin, eight months apart, in August 2015 and April 2016. But Dr Dewi Evans, an expert witness for the prosecution, previously told the Mail that it was discovered that a third child had a very high rate. amount of insulin in your blood, in November 2015.