LONDON -- Former British nurse Lucy Letby, convicted last year of murdering seven babies and trying to kill six others, went on trial on Wednesday accused of the attempted murder of another newborn in her care.
Letby, 34, was found guilty last August of committing the crimes between June 2015 and June 2016 while she was working as a nurse in the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital in Chester, northern England.
The former nurse is now on trial at Manchester Crown Court charged with one count of attempted murder of a further young baby girl, known as Child K, in February 2016. She denies the accusation.
Prosecutor Nick Johnson said the jury should not convict Letby because she had been found guilty in the other cases, but said it was significant evidence as to what her intention was at the time of the alleged offense she now faced.
"In a nutshell, we are saying that her status as a multiple murderer and attempted murderer is an important piece of evidence you can, if you wish, take into account when you are considering if we have proved ... that she was attempting to murder (Child K)," Johnson said.
On Tuesday, the judge, James Goss, told the jury they must decide the case based on the evidence they would hear and nothing else. The trial is expected to last about four weeks.
(Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Sarah Young)
