24 August 2023 , 09:57
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For a woman who has committed such grave crimes, it's almost impossible to believe that the people who were closest to Lucy Letby did not suspect a single wrongdoing, and are still convinced she is innocent.
But her life and character appear to be at odds with that of a cold-blooded killer. As Det Chief Insp Nicola Evans, who spent six years analysing Letby, put it: "There isn't anything outstanding or outrageous that we found out about her as a person." In one word, she said the evil serial killer was "beige".
"But clearly there was another side of that that nobody saw and that we have unravelled during this investigation," she continued. By hiding this twisted and destructive side of herself, Letby convinced her closest family and friends that she was not capable of killing.
It was Lucy Letby's 'kind' nature and 'soft' character that had her friends convinced she was innocent (Cheshire Constabulary/AFP via Ge)As her daughter was convicted of the heinous crimes, mum Susan, 63, wailed in court: "You can't be serious! This can't be right!" And she wasn't the only one absolutely certain that Letby was not guilty. Dawn Howe, a schoolfriend who grew up in Hereford, refused to accept that Letby was a murderer. In a television interview with BBC's Panorama, Ms Howe expressed her reasoning behind her strong belief that Letby was innocent.
She explained that it came down to knowing details of Letby's character. Calling her the 'the kindest person', she said that Letby was 'kind, gentle, soft' and suggested this was the reason she didn't believe her friend was capable of killing. "Unless Lucy turned around and said 'I'm guilty', I will never believe that she's guilty," Ms Howe said.
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Seemingly choosing to speak on behalf of a group of friends, she added: "We know she couldn't have done anything that she's accused of, so without a doubt, we stand by her. I grew up with Lucy and not a single thing that I've ever seen or witnessed of Lucy would let me for a moment believe she is capable of the thing's she's accused of.
"It is the most out-of-character accusation that you could ever put against Lucy. Think of your most kind gentle soft friend and think that they're being accused of harming babies." The former nurse's neighbours have also spoken out about Letby's nature and personality. "I've known her since she was a little girl. I thought I knew her, but I guess I didn't know her at all," one local, who chose to remain anonymous, said.
Another neighbour in her home town commented: "Her parents absolutely doted on her, it'll be the end of them. I feel so sorry for them, but I also feel so sorry for all the those parents who have lost their babies." A third neighbour said: "She was just a normal girl, she was quite quiet, but seemed lovely. Her mum and dad doted on her all her life. It's difficult to take in to be honest." And a friend who went to sixth form college with Letby told us: "We didn't want to believe it, but she's done it hasn't she? The jury won't be wrong. You have to feel so sorry for those families."
Yet, Letby was found guilty of seven counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder. The 33-year-old was convicted of deliberately harming the infants in various ways, including injecting them with air and/or milk into the stomach and adding insulin as a poison to feeds.
Letby denied all the allegations as she gave evidence in the witness box for 14 days during the trial, which began last October. She denied doing anything harmful to any child and that the sudden collapses and deaths could have been due to natural causes, or for some unascertained reason, or from failure by others to provide appropriate care.