Killer neonatal nurse Lucy Letby has refused to come into court for her sentencing. The 33-year-old will today learn the minimum period she will spend behind bars after being convicted of the murder of seven babies in her care in the Countess of Chester Hospital, along with the attempted murder of six others.
Personal statements from the families of her victims are due to be read before the judge Mr Justice Goss hears any mitigation and passes sentence.
She could be handed a whole-life order, the most severe punishment available in the UK criminal justice system. However, Letby was not in the dock as the hearing got underway at Manchester Crown Court just after 10am.
Letby had previously indicated she did not intend to return to the dock and did not want to take any part in the hearing, including following the hearing via video-link from prison. Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features. Her trial was the subject of a reporting ban until the jury had returned all of its verdicts on the seven counts of murder and 15 counts of attempted murder she faced.
Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk