LONDON (AP) — British detectives questioned nurse Lucy Letby, who is serving life in prison for killing seven babies, over the deaths of several more infants.
Cheshire Police said Wednesday that Letby had been questioned in prison over baby deaths and “non-fatal collapses” at the Countess of Chester Hospital, where she worked, and Liverpool Women’s Hospital, where she trained as a student.
The force said Letby was interviewed “under caution,” meaning the interview was recorded and can be used in future prosecutions.
The 34-year-old nurse was sentenced to life with no chance of release for killing seven babies and trying to kill seven others while working as a neonatal nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital in northwest England in 2015 and 2016.
Prosecutors said she harmed babies in ways that left little trace, including injecting air into their bloodstreams, administering air or milk into their stomachs via nasogastric tubes, poisoning them with insulin and interfering with breathing tubes.
Detectives are now reviewing the care of some 4,000 babies admitted to hospital while Letby was working as a neonatal nurse.
Letby, who testified that she never harmed a child, has continued to proclaim her innocence and has tried unsuccessfully to appeal her convictions.
Some scientists and legal experts have questioned aspects of the circumstantial and statistical evidence used at her trial, and supporters have pushed for a review of the case.
A judge-led public inquiry is underway to examine failures by the hospital to recognize why babies were dying in the neonatal unit and to stop Letby sooner. It is not reviewing Letby’s convictions.
Dr. Stephen Brearey, the senior pediatrician on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital, told the inquiry last month that Letby is likely to have murdered or attacked more babies before she killed her first known victim, a premature twin boy known as Baby A, in June 2015.
“On reflection, I think it’s likely that Letby didn’t start becoming a killer in June 2015, or didn’t start harming babies in June 2015,” he said.
FILE - This undated handout issued by Cheshire Constabulary shows nurse Lucy Letby. (Cheshire Constabulary via AP, File)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Many tourists in Seoul seemed largely unfazed by the political turmoil unfolding in the capital as they flocked Wednesday to the city’s largest palace, local landmarks and shopping streets.
Some awoke to worried text messages from friends and family, who heard the news about President Yoon Suk Yeol’s stunning martial law declaration Tuesday night. Yoon abruptly imposed emergency martial law, vowing to eliminate “anti-state” forces after he struggled to push forward his agenda in the opposition-dominated parliament.
But his martial law was effective for only about six hours, as the National Assembly voted to overrule the president. With the declaration formally lifted, tourists ventured from their hotels.
Early Wednesday at Gyeongbokgung Palace, the largest of royal palaces, tourists wore traditional clothing rented from nearby shops as they posed for photos.
Emma Basnawi, visiting from Indonesia, said she thought “something big might happen” when she heard about the martial law declaration, and was a little concerned. But riots and protests aren’t unusual back at home in Jakarta so she planned to stick to her itinerary as much as possible, she said.
Walking toward the palace with a tour group, Stephen Rowan, of Brisbane, Australia, said he wasn’t worried. He had asked a friend from South Korea to help him understand what was happening.
“I would have been concerned if martial law had stayed enforced,” he said.
Early Wednesday morning, police with shields arrived in the palace area, known historically as a popular protest site. But other than that, it seemed like a normal cold Seoul December morning.
Not far from the palace, tour groups wandered through the Bukchon Hanok Village, taking photos of the residential neighborhood and its many restored traditional houses.
Elisabetta Munari, on vacation from Milan, Italy, took a morning hike to Seoul Tower on the summit of Namsan Mountain, to see the views of the city. She had a week off from work and is traveling alone for the first time.
“A lot of people from Italy wrote to me during the night when I was sleeping,” she said. “But everyone here has gone to school and to work today. Of course, I’m not going to the city center, but still I’m around. I don’t think the situation is critical.”
The commercial Insadong and Myeongdong shopping streets were teeming with people, too. Geff Johnson, from Sydney, Australia, looked at the art for sale on the main street of Insadong with friends. He said their tour was canceled that day to the demilitarized zone, the swath of land between North and South Korea, because of the martial law declaration.
Johnson said he felt at ease because he had seen many police officers around in Seoul and so many locals and tourists were out shopping.
For the time being, he said, things seem safe.
Tourists wander taking photos of the residential neighborhood and its many restored traditional houses in the Bukchon Hanok Village, in Seoul, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/ Jennifer McDermott)
Tourists watch the rehearsal for the royal guard changing ceremony at the Gyeongbokgung Palace, in Seoul, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/ Jennifer McDermott)
Tourists wander taking photos of the residential neighborhood and its many restored traditional houses in the Bukchon Hanok Village, in Seoul, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/ Jennifer McDermott)
Visitors wearing South Korean traditional costume "Hanbok" was in front of the Gwanghwamun, the main gate of the 14th-century Gyeongbok Palace, one of South Korea's well known landmarks, in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Jessica Hernandez, third from right, from the U.S. takes a photo near the Gwanghwamun, the main gate of the 14th-century Gyeongbok Palace, one of South Korea's well known landmarks, in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Tourists wearing traditional clothing rented from nearby shops pose for photos at the Gyeongbokgung Palace, in Seoul, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/ Jennifer McDermott)
