Nurse Lucy Letby 'told off' a nurse who shouted for help when baby’s oxygen levels dropped

Nurse who allegedly murdered seven babies “told off” colleague who shouted for help when a baby’s oxygen levels dropped, a jury has been told.

Lisa Walker, a neonatal assistant, told jurors at Manchester Crown Court she was “shocked” and “taken aback” when Lucy Letby asked her why she called for help.

Walker said she and Letby were working together in a neonatal room at the Countess of Chester hospital when an alarm, signifying dropping oxygen, sounded at the cot where Letby was.

Letby, 32, then stopped the feed through a breathing tube and commenced “gentle stimulation” of the baby, and when that did not work, she gave oxygen via a facial mask, Walker said.

She said the baby did not respond to the oxygen at first and she shouted for help as a nurse walked past the door.

When asked about why she called for help, Miss Walker said: “Because the baby was not picking up.”

She said a doctor also came into the room but agreed the oxygen levels had increased by that point and later left.

It was after this that Letby, originally from Hereford, asked Walker why she shouted for help. When describing her tone of voice, Walker said Letby spoke “quite firmly”.

Miss Walker agreed with Ben Myers, KC, defending, that she could not remember the date of the incident, or the name and sex of the baby involved.

Mr Myers said: “You didn’t see anything regarding Miss Letby’s actions towards the baby which caused you any concern at all?”

“No,” said Miss Walker.

She told Mr Myers she did not get the impression that Letby asked the question because she felt help was unnecessary in the situation.

Earlier, a doctor told the court it was “completely unclear” why a baby allegedly murdered by Letby had “dramatic deteriorations”.

The girl, referred to as Child D, is said to be the third child murdered by the defendant in two weeks, with another suffering a life-threatening collapse during the same period.

Registrar Andrew Brunton was called three times by concerned nurses during a night-shift in the early hours of June 22 2015 before Child D was pronounced dead.

Brunton said: “From when I came in on my night shift there were no particular worries or concerns identified, but by 1.40am to the time of her death she had dramatic deteriorations over different points.

“It was completely unclear to me why that was occurring…I had never seen a baby behave in that manner prior to this and I have never seen a baby behave in that manner after this.”

The Crown say Letby injected a fatal amount of air into Child D’s bloodstream.

Letby, originally from Hereford, denies the offences said to have been committed between June 2015 and June 2016 at the Countess of Chester hospital.

The trial continues.