Lawyer for UK nurse accused of baby murders warns against 'presumption of guilt'

The prosecution of a nurse accused of killing seven babies at a UK hospital where she worked has been "riddled by the presumption of guilt", her lawyer said on Monday.

In a closing speech in Lucy Letby's defense after months of testimony at Manchester Crown Court, Ben Myers said everything presented by prosecutors has been "treated as evidence of guilt".

"What is really at work is best described as the presumption of guilt," he added.

"I am going to ask you to approach the evidence with something else at the forefront of your mind -- that's something called the presumption of innocence," Myers implored the jury of eight women and four men.

"Being fair and working on the basis that someone is innocent until proven guilty is how our law works."

Letby, 33, who is also accused of attempting to kill another 10 babies in the neo-natal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital in Chester, northwest England, has denied harming children.

'Very calculating'

Jurors have been hearing the case since October, and are set to begin deliberations shortly over the 22 charges she faces.

Letby is accused of targeting newborns by various means between June 2015 and June 2016, including giving them injections of insulin, air or milk.

She was removed from the neo-natal unit in July 2016 but continued working at the hospital on clerical duties before her arrest two years later.

Prosecutors argued she was a "very calculating woman" who told lies deliberately, telling the jury she had "murdered many children".

But when she entered the witness box last month, Letby insisted she "always wanted to work with children" and said it was "devastating" to find out she was blamed for the deaths of the babies.

She is facing seven murder charges and 15 of attempted murder, as she allegedly tried to kill some children more than once.

© 2023 AFP