this is the moment police arrested lucy letby in chester. she's now the most profilic child killer in modern british history. the government launches an independent inquiry into letby�*s crimes and how concerns raised at the time were handled. hello. you're watching bbc news coming live from manchester. i'm anna foster. here in the uk, nurse lucy letby — has been found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others at a hospital in chester.

the babies were attacked betweenjune 2015 and and june 2016. she was charged with 22 counts of attempting babies in her care. some were injected with air. others were force—fed milk. the crown prosecution service announced on the steps that they weapon eyes to her craft as a nurse. the trial has considered harrowing evidence from... they watched that children die and often harrowing circumstances. the families are very much at the forefront of people's mines here at court today. lucy letby was herself in the court building was not present in the dock

to hear the final verdict delivered. when the first vertex work delivered several days ago, she was present. she sobbed at the dock at one point put her head on the desk and cried. but for the last couple of days, even though she has been here in the holding cells at manchester crown court, she refused to come and sit in the dock for the conclusion of her trial. she will be sentenced on monday in thejudge her trial. she will be sentenced on monday in the judge will no doubt give a lengthy custodial sentence. the indication is that lucy letby will not appear in court once again to hear the sentence that is handed down to her for those crimes. to hear the sentence that is handed down to herfor those crimes. she was also acquitted of two accounts of attended murder and there were six counts of the jury despite more than 110 hours of deliberation tell thejudge than 110 hours of deliberation tell the judge they were unable to reach vertex on. the crown prosecution service as it will take the next 28 days to decide whether or not retrials should be held on those remaining six counts. as i was saying, this has been a long and difficult trial for all of those

involved. 0ur correspondent has followed this case from the start and have sent this report. 0ur north of england correspondent judith moritz followed the case from the start and sent this report. she thought she'd get away with it, but this was the moment the game was up. lucy, is it? do you mind if i step in for two seconds? yes. thank you. behind the door of this ordinary suburban house, britain's most prolific baby killer was arrested three hours after her murder spree began. just sit there for me, lucy. move that forward a bit. i've just had knee surgery. 0h, right, 0k. she worked here, in the neonatal unit at the countess of chester hospital. her role — to care of the most vulnerable infants, but that couldn't have been further from her mind. the crying, i've never heard anything like it since. it was screaming.

it was screaming, and i was like, "what's the matter with them?" legally, we can't identify the families in this case, but the stories are distressing. these are the parents of twin boys born prematurely in 2015. their mum was taking milk to them when she heard one of her sons crying loudly. he had blood round his mouth. and lucy was there, but faffing about and not really doing anything. lucy said, "don't worry, the registrar was coming." and then she told me to go back to the ward. the baby's mum left him in this intensive care area and went to call her husband. they thought their son was in safe hands with nurse letby, but a short time later, they were told he was dangerously ill and they rushed back to find doctors trying to save him. we were taken in, and we were told to talk to him and hold

his hand. and then... ..we had a conversation with the consultant, and they said they were going to stop, "because it's not helping, and we want him to die in your arms." 0n the unit, there were typically up to three deaths a year, but in 2015, they had that number in the month ofjune alone. and the pattern continued, with babies dying or coming close to death. the common factor — lucy letby. this staffing sheet shows she was the only employee who was present every time there was a suspicious event. dr stephen brearey led the team of seven consultants on the unit who shared joint concerns about letby. he's now speaking publicly about their experience for the first time. it's something that nobody

really wants to consider, you know, that a member of staff might be harming the babies under your care. things came to a head when two out of three healthy triplets died within 2a hours of each other injune 2016. afterwards, a meeting was held for staff. lucy letby was there. she was sitting next to me. i spoke to her and said how tired and upset she must be after two days of this, and i hoped that she was going to have a restful weekend. and she turned to me and said, "no, i'm back on shift tomorrow." the other staff were very traumatised by all of this. they were crumbling before your eyes almost, and she was quite happy and confident to come into work. lucy letby was eventually moved to a clerical role. the doctors kept trying to get managers to investigate the suspicious deaths

and her connection to them. but we can now reveal that even though consultants here repeatedly made loud warnings to senior management, they say they were ignored and ultimately told that if they didn't stop raising questions about the nurse, there would be consequences. and the doctors say that even after lucy letby came off duty on the neonatal unit, executives tried to draw a line under the case, and it was only a year after she stopped working as a nurse that the police became involved. after her arrest, officers found all sorts of items in her bedroom. babies�* medical records, her diary and notes covered in letby�*s scrawl, with phrases including, "i am evil. i did this." she is a killer, and using her words, she is evil. _ you've spent time interviewing her, and watching her in court as well, giving evidence.

what did you make of her? i think she is very emotionless. she doesn't respond to a typical human response that _ i would've expected. there was no empathy or sympathy with what's gone on at all. - i mean, there are people who look at her and say there's no way she can have done this. it's circumstantial evidence. she looks as though butter wouldn't melt. it's an example to us all of not judging a book by its cover. i we've got to accept - and understand the evidence in this case has been, i believe, significant, | and it has taken us to understand that lucy letby is a killer. - the nurse wrote this sympathy card to the parents of one baby and searched for many of the other families on facebook. letby�*s own parents supported her throughout the trial, and the court heard about her happy childhood. we may never know why she became a killer. i want her to be locked up, and i neverwant her to come out again. because what she's done has changed the course of our life forever.

lucy letby had many faces. party girl, graduate, bright young nurse. but each face was a mask for evil hiding in plain sight, and at last her cover has slipped. lucy letby will now be known as one of britain's most notorious criminals. judith moritz, bbc news, manchester. convicted of seven murders and also convicted of the attempted murder of six other babies. we have heard of course a lot of reaction to those convictions. we have heard from the hospital where this happened, the countess of chester hospital, where lucy letby worked on the neonatal unit. and here and manchester crown court, at the conclusion of the trial, we also heard from some of the people who were responsible for the people who were responsible for the investigation and prosecution case as well. a short while ago, detective chief

inspector nicola evans of cheshire police gave her reaction to the verdict. this has been a long and emotional journey for all of the families involved in this case. i speak on behalf of the entire prosecution team when i say that all of their babies will forever be in our hearts. i would like to thank all of the families in this case for their exceptional resilience and strength throughout this entire investigation. their composure and their dignity during this trial has been truly overwhelming. the investigation into the circumstances surrounding this case started in may 2017. since that time, hundreds of witnesses have been spoken to by a team of dedicated detectives. many of those witnesses have returned to court on numerous occasions to give evidence.

without their honesty and their support, the families would not have received the justice that they have received today. i cannot begin to imagine how the families in this case feel today. i just hope that today's verdicts bring all of them some peace of mind for the future and that we have answered some of the questions that they were looking for. cheshire constabulary will continue to support all of the families in this case in the coming days and weeks ahead. there will be a period of reflection as everybody comes to terms with what they've experienced here today. that's detective chief inspector nicola evans, who was one of the

senior investigating officers in this case from cheshire police. we also heard on the steps here in manchester at the reaction from some of the families who lost children in some of the attempted murders as well. important to say some of those children suffered life—changing consequences from the attempts lucy letby made on their lives. now all of the victims in this case have been kept anonymous, not inside the court, but in terms of reporting, they have been referred to as bay ba, bbc, and theirfamilies have also been given identity protection so their parents and also that chilled siblings of the student could try and have some level of privacy for what has been a huge amount of scrutiny and a very high profile trial. so the reaction that we heard was from their family liaison officer. janet moore, the family liaison officer, has been speaking on behalf of the babies' families outside court.

i've been asked to read out a statement on behalf of all the families in this case. words cannot effectively explain how we are feeling at this moment in time. we are quite simply stunned. to lose a baby is a heartbreaking experience that no parent should ever have to go through. but to lose a baby or to have a baby harmed in these particular circumstances is unimaginable. over the past seven to eight years, we've had to go through a long, tortuous and emotional journey. from losing our precious newborns and grieving their loss, seeing our children who survived, some of whom are still suffering today, to being told years later that their death or collapse might be suspicious, nothing can prepare you for that news. today, justice has been served, and a nurse who should've been caring for our babies has been found guilty of harming them. but this justice will not take away

from the extreme hurt, anger and distress that we've all had to experience. some families did not receive the verdict that they expected, and therefore it is a bittersweet result — we are heartbroken, devastated, angry and feel numb. we may never truly know why this happened. words cannot express our gratitude to the jury who've had to sit through 145 days of gruelling evidence which has led to today's verdict. we recognise that this has not been an easy task for them, and we will forever be grateful for their patience and resilience throughout this incredibly difficult process. the police investigation began in 2017, and we've been supported from the very beginning by a team of experienced and dedicated family liaison officers. we want to thank these officers for everything that they've done for us. medical experts, consultants,

doctors and nursing staff have all given evidence at court, which at times has been extremely harrowing and distressing for us to listen to. however, we recognise the determination and commitment that each witness has shown in ensuring that the truth was told. we acknowledge that the evidence given by each of them has been key in securing today's verdict. that was janet moore who is works with all of these families in this case. let's reflect on that with my colleague dan 0'donoghue, and you been here for every day of the trial and we heard janet moore took about the evidence and for the families in particular, same for everybody it was distressing evidence to listen to. but for these families, it is the infinite —— intimate details in some cases of the last minutes of

their child's lies they've had to relive again in the most awful circumstances. figs relive again in the most awful circumstances.— relive again in the most awful circumstances. a �*, circumstances. as you say, it's the worst day of _ circumstances. as you say, it's the worst day of their _ circumstances. as you say, it's the worst day of their lives _ circumstances. as you say, it's the worst day of their lives and - circumstances. as you say, it's the worst day of their lives and their. worst day of their lives and their site in_ worst day of their lives and their site in court_ worst day of their lives and their site in court day— worst day of their lives and their site in court day after— worst day of their lives and their site in court day after day- site in court day after day having to go _ site in court day after day having to go over — site in court day after day having to go over these _ site in court day after day having to go over these events - site in court day after day having to go over these events and - site in court day after day having to go over these events and notl to go over these events and not only that, _ to go over these events and not only that, i_ to go over these events and not only that. i suppose — to go over these events and not only that. i surlpose it_ to go over these events and not only that, i suppose it was— to go over these events and not only that, i suppose it was during - to go over these events and not only that, i suppose it was during lucy. that, i suppose it was during lucy letby's cross _ that, i suppose it was during lucy letby's cross examination - that, i suppose it was during lucy letby's cross examination wherel letby's cross examination where there _ letby's cross examination where there were — letby's cross examination where there were times— letby's cross examination where there were times when - letby's cross examination where there were times when she - letby's cross examination where . there were times when she credited some _ there were times when she credited some of— there were times when she credited some of the — there were times when she credited some of the parents _ there were times when she credited some of the parents evidence - there were times when she credited some of the parents evidence and l some of the parents evidence and said the _ some of the parents evidence and said the parents— some of the parents evidence and said the parents and _ some of the parents evidence and said the parents and perhaps - said the parents and perhaps misremember_ said the parents and perhaps misrememberto_ said the parents and perhaps misrememberto and- said the parents and perhaps misremember to and what i said the parents and perhaps. misremember to and what can said the parents and perhaps - misremember to and what can only imagine _ misremember to and what can only imagine what — misremember to and what can only imagine what that _ misremember to and what can only imagine what that must've - misremember to and what can only imagine what that must've been i misremember to and what can onlyl imagine what that must've been like for the _ imagine what that must've been like for the parents — imagine what that must've been like for the parents to _ imagine what that must've been like for the parents to hear. _ imagine what that must've been like for the parents to hear. these - imagine what that must've been like for the parents to hear. these werel for the parents to hear. these were the worst _ for the parents to hear. these were the worst moments _ for the parents to hear. these were the worst moments of— for the parents to hear. these were the worst moments of their- for the parents to hear. these were the worst moments of their lives, l the worst moments of their lives, being _ the worst moments of their lives, being there — the worst moments of their lives, being there when _ the worst moments of their lives, being there when there's - the worst moments of their lives, being there when there's childrenj being there when there's children were _ being there when there's children were collapsing _ being there when there's children were collapsing and _ being there when there's children were collapsing and dying, - being there when there's children were collapsing and dying, and i being there when there's children were collapsing and dying, and al were collapsing and dying, and a half lucy— were collapsing and dying, and a half lucy letby— were collapsing and dying, and a half lucy letby say— were collapsing and dying, and a half lucy letby say for— were collapsing and dying, and a half lucy letby say for sure - half lucy letby say for sure that they— half lucy letby say for sure that they were — half lucy letby say for sure that they were hot _ half lucy letby say for sure that they were not telling _ half lucy letby say for sure that they were not telling the - half lucy letby say for sure that they were not telling the truth i half lucy letby say for sure that i they were not telling the truth just for the _ they were not telling the truth just for the prosecution _ they were not telling the truth just for the prosecution characterised i for the prosecution characterised it. for the prosecution characterised it it _ for the prosecution characterised it it really— for the prosecution characterised it. it really came _ for the prosecution characterised it. it really came down— for the prosecution characterised it. it really came down to - for the prosecution characterised it. it really came down to it- it. it really came down to it straight _ it. it really came down to it straight up _ it. it really came down to it straight up credibility- it. it really came down to it- straight up credibility assessment between — straight up credibility assessment between the _ straight up credibility assessment between the parents _ straight up credibility assessment between the parents and - straight up credibility assessment between the parents and the - straight up credibility assessment. between the parents and the doctors and nurses— between the parents and the doctors and nurses and— between the parents and the doctors and nurses and lucy— between the parents and the doctors and nurses and lucy letby. - between the parents and the doctors and nurses and lucy letby. fit- between the parents and the doctors and nurses and lucy letby.— and nurses and lucy letby. at the heart of this _ and nurses and lucy letby. at the heart of this case _ and nurses and lucy letby. at the heart of this case was _ and nurses and lucy letby. at the heart of this case was somebody l and nurses and lucy letby. at the i heart of this case was somebody who was a medical professional, who was there as a qualified registered nurse and he was caring for these extremely sick babies and we now know it was doing things that were making them sicker and in some of

those cases were killing them. and we heard the police talk about her weapon eyes inc. the tools of her tray to tell us a bit more about why they chose to that expression, what that means. i they chose to that expression, what that mean— they chose to that expression, what that means. ~' ., ., , ., that means. i think fundamentally no one expects — that means. i think fundamentally no one exoects a — that means. i think fundamentally no one expects a medical _ that means. i think fundamentally no one expects a medical professor, - that means. i think fundamentally no one expects a medical professor, a i one expects a medical professor, a nurse _ one expects a medical professor, a nurse charged _ one expects a medical professor, a nurse charged with _ one expects a medical professor, a nurse charged with the _ one expects a medical professor, a nurse charged with the protection i one expects a medical professor, ai nurse charged with the protection of vulnerable _ nurse charged with the protection of vulnerable young _ nurse charged with the protection of vulnerable young children, - nurse charged with the protection of vulnerable young children, to- nurse charged with the protection of vulnerable young children, to be - vulnerable young children, to be behavihg — vulnerable young children, to be behaving in _ vulnerable young children, to be behaving in this _ vulnerable young children, to be behaving in this way. _ vulnerable young children, to be behaving in this way. she - vulnerable young children, to be behaving in this way. she was i vulnerable young children, to be i behaving in this way. she was using bubbles _ behaving in this way. she was using bubbles of— behaving in this way. she was using bubbles of air, _ behaving in this way. she was using bubbles of air, embolism _ behaving in this way. she was using bubbles of air, embolism is - behaving in this way. she was usingj bubbles of air, embolism is pushing into bubbles of air, embolism is pushing ihto tubes— bubbles of air, embolism is pushing into tubes which _ bubbles of air, embolism is pushing into tubes which content _ bubbles of air, embolism is pushing into tubes which content into - bubbles of air, embolism is pushingj into tubes which content into babies and this— into tubes which content into babies and this would — into tubes which content into babies and this would have _ into tubes which content into babies and this would have dennis - into tubes which content into babies and this would have dennis and - into tubes which content into babies and this would have dennis and gus| and this would have dennis and gus quizzes— and this would have dennis and gus quizzes on— and this would have dennis and gus quizzes on them _ and this would have dennis and gus quizzes on them. she _ and this would have dennis and gus quizzes on them. she was - and this would have dennis and gus quizzes on them. she was raiding . and this would have dennis and gus. quizzes on them. she was raiding the fridge _ quizzes on them. she was raiding the fridge which — quizzes on them. she was raiding the fridge which was _ quizzes on them. she was raiding the fridge which was located _ quizzes on them. she was raiding the fridge which was located on - quizzes on them. she was raiding the fridge which was located on the - fridge which was located on the neonatai— fridge which was located on the neonatal unit— fridge which was located on the neonatal unit to _ fridge which was located on the neonatal unit to access - fridge which was located on the neonatal unit to access insulin. neonatal unit to access insulin to poison _ neonatal unit to access insulin to poison some _ neonatal unit to access insulin to poison some of— neonatal unit to access insulin to poison some of the _ neonatal unit to access insulin to poison some of the children - neonatal unit to access insulin to poison some of the children in i neonatal unit to access insulin to i poison some of the children in this case _ poison some of the children in this case milk. — poison some of the children in this case milk. she _ poison some of the children in this case. milk, she was _ poison some of the children in this case. milk, she was force—feeding| case. milk, she was force—feeding some _ case. milk, she was force—feeding some children _ case. milk, she was force—feeding some children with _ case. milk, she was force—feeding some children with milk. - case. milk, she was force—feeding some children with milk. these i case. milk, she was force—feedingl some children with milk. these are acts unimaginable _ some children with milk. these are acts unimaginable to _ some children with milk. these are acts unimaginable to her— some children with milk. these arei acts unimaginable to her colleagues and is _ acts unimaginable to her colleagues and is one _ acts unimaginable to her colleagues and is one of— acts unimaginable to her colleagues and is one of the _ acts unimaginable to her colleagues and is one of the reasons _ acts unimaginable to her colleagues and is one of the reasons why- acts unimaginable to her colleagues and is one of the reasons why she . and is one of the reasons why she .ot and is one of the reasons why she got away— and is one of the reasons why she got away with _ and is one of the reasons why she got away with her— and is one of the reasons why she got away with her offences - and is one of the reasons why she got away with her offences for i and is one of the reasons why she got away with her offences for sol got away with her offences for so iohg _ got away with her offences for so lonu. . ~ got away with her offences for so lonu. ., ~' ,, got away with her offences for so lonu. ., ~ i. got away with her offences for so lonu. ., ., long. thank you, dan. one of the thins we long. thank you, dan. one of the things we now — long. thank you, dan. one of the things we now know _ long. thank you, dan. one of the things we now know at _ long. thank you, dan. one of the things we now know at the - long. thank you, dan. one of the i things we now know at the conclusion of this trial is that lucy letby's colleagues had raised concerns about

her behaviour and an investigation by bbc news and bbc panorama has revealed that in fact in many cases, those concerns were not acted upon. michael began it has this report. this is the story of an nhs trust that didn't properly investigate why 13 babies died in a one—year period. instead, it turned against the very people who wanted the police to examine the deaths. there is only one serial killer of babies that has worked in that organisation, and the executive team were not the people who were responsible for the deaths of those babies. but they had some opportunities to get to the bottom of what was happening. susan gilbeyjoined the countess

of chester nhs trust a month after lucy letby was arrested. within two months, she was made chief executive, a post she held until last december. through documents and speaking to staff, she learned what the trust knew about the serial killer. the first three babies died injune 2015. the executive team held a meeting at which it was agreed that an external investigation into the deaths would be held. it never happened. by october, with seven babies now dead, a staff analysis of the incidents made a link between all the deaths and lucy letby being on shift, but it was still seen as coincidental. in february 2016, with ten babies now dead, the director of nursing, alison kelly, and ian harvey, the medical director, were asked for an urgent meeting to discuss the deaths and lucy letby's links to all of them. they didn't respond for three months. the paediatricians were discussing, you know, the terrible nights on call that they were having. one of them said, "every time, you know, this is happening to me, that i'm being called in for these catastrophic events which were

unexpected and unexplained, lucy letby is there," and then somebody else said, "i found that." and then someone else had the same response. and they all realised that the common factor for each of them was letby's presence on the unit. injune 2016, two babies died on consecutive days. 13 children had now died. lucy letby was on shift for all of them. the day after the second death, the nurse was due back on the unit. paediatrician steve brearley rang the duty manager asking for her to be replaced. the manager refused. i challenged her. i said, "well, are you saying that you're making this decision against the wishes of seven consultant paediatricians?" and she said, "yes." and i said, "well, if you're making this decision, are you taking responsibility of anything that might happen tomorrow to any other of our babies?"

and she said, "yes." lucy letby went to work, and a baby unexpectedly collapsed. we were urging them to investigate our concerns appropriately, and most of us felt the most appropriate way to do that would be to go to the police. the response from the medical director was unsupportive. in an e—mail to the paediatricians obtained by panorama, ian harvey wrote, "action is being taken." all e—mails ceased forthwith. the police were not called. instead, in september 2016, the royal college of paediatrics and child health was asked to carry out a review of the neonatal unit. it urged the trust to investigate each death individually. this didn't happen. around this time, lucy letby launched a grievance procedure against the paediatricians. the internal process concluded that she'd been discriminated against and victimised by the doctors on the unit. with the paediatricians wanting a police investigation injanuary 2017, an extraordinary board meeting was held.

the medical director, ian harvey, gave a verbal report. he said external reviews had not highlighted any individual as being linked to the deaths and that the trust was ready to draw a line under the issues. the chief executive, tony chambers, said he'd met lucy letby and her parents to apologise for what had happened. a statement written by letby was read out, detailing how hard the past few months had been for her. the meeting decided lucy letby would return to the neonatal unit after the paediatricians had written a letter apologising to her. this is the letter they sent lucy letby, signed by all seven of the paediatricians in the unit. against their wishes, they apologised for any inappropriate comments that may have been made, going on to say, "we are very sorry for the stress and upset you have experienced in the last year." though the paediatricians feared being reported to the regulator,

they kept going, pressurising executives to call the police, something the trust did eventually in 2017. protecting the reputation of the organisation was a big factor in how people responded to the concerns raised. they were dragged kicking and screaming, the executive team, to call in the police. that would certainly be the conclusion that i would reach. at the time letby was arrested in july 2018, she was still working at the trust. no disciplinary action had been taken against her. the strong opinion was that nothing would be found. there was a brief overlap of three or four days between myself and the outgoing medical director, and his parting words to me, to my surprise, were, "you need to refer the paediatricians to the gmc." they were not referred to the general medical council. instead, all the executives who doubted the doctors and supported lucy letby left the countess of chester trust. they all refused to comment ahead of tofay�*s verdict. michael buchanan, bbc news, cheshire.

for viewers in the uk, a bbc panorama documentary, lucy letby: the nurse who killed, will be available to watch on iplayer later today. there has been a lot of reaction to this story of courses he would expect here at manchester crown court over the last few hours on that news that lucy letby has been convicted here in manchester of murray seven babies in her care and attempting to murder a further six attempting to murder a further six at the countess of chester hospital during her time as a neonatal nurse. i think one of the most significant developments in the last few hours is the government has announced an independent inquiry into lucy letby's offending because of course this trial only covered a 12 month period between june this trial only covered a 12 month period betweenjune of this trial only covered a 12 month period between june of 2015 and june of 2016. and that did not cover the

whole of lucy letby's nursing career. 0ne whole of lucy letby's nursing career. one of the hospital so she did a training placement and released a statement shortly after the conclusion of this trial saying that her time working at that hospital would be looked at and in fact that is something which over the next few weeks and months will continue to develop in relation to this story. you're watching bbc news. thank you very much for that. in the studio in london and we are back with anna and just a moment but want to pick up on one thing that she just mentioned there and that is the announcement of a public inquiry by the government here. well, we are starting to get a few more details about how that inquiry will work. we have heard from the health minister. let's take a listen. but have heard from the health minister. let's take a listen.— let's take a listen. but first you and i let's take a listen. but first you and i just _ let's take a listen. but first you and i just say — let's take a listen. but first you and i just say that _ let's take a listen. but first you and i just say that my _ let's take a listen. but first you l and i just say that my thoughts to with these art with the families who

have lost babies or had babies injured. and the unbelievable heartbreak that they have been through and must be going through. i think it's unimaginably hard to lose a baby or have a baby injured in any circumstances, but clearly in these circumstances, but clearly in these circumstances, it's just hard to find the words to express what it must feel like. so my thoughts are with them. and actually also with the staff at the countess of chester hospital must also be hugely affected by what has happened. now, you asked me about the inquiry, and the important thing here is that something like this must never happen again. and of course the nhs must learn lessons. that's why the government is launching an inquiry to make sure that all the lessons that can be learned will be learnt and that all possible action is to take into this can never be, never happen again. in particular, you ask

the question about such a tory versus non—statutory, and one of the things here is ashley to make sure that this can be done at pace, action taken quickly and the non—such a tory inquiry is one that can happen more quickly and be more flexible to answer questions that need to be answered. that flexible to answer questions that need to be answered.— flexible to answer questions that need to be answered. that is the first time we _ need to be answered. that is the first time we have _ need to be answered. that is the first time we have heard - need to be answered. that is the first time we have heard there i need to be answered. that is the i first time we have heard there from the health minister, the government with regards to the public inquiry. there were calls for many involved in this very quickly for a public inquiry and the announcement that one would indeed take place did not take long after we got those verdicts out of the core and manchester. the government put out a statement very quickly that there would be one and we learned some new details there about what form it will take. and i want to stay with this theme of what happens next because although the trial of course has come to a close, the jury has been dismissed, those verdicts are in. this is farfrom over. what happens next, we move into next

week, monday we have sentencing from thejudge. so we week, monday we have sentencing from the judge. so we will expect him to be reconvening in that court and of course expecting a very long, significant custodialjail course expecting a very long, significant custodial jail sentence to be handed down there. also, along with the public inquiry, there are theissues with the public inquiry, there are the issues of potentially more court proceedings. there were basically a hunk decision by the jury on some counts, no decision reached, there will be decisions made within a month about whether there are any more criminal proceedings relating to those. also more investigations potentially into the career of the nurse lucy letby at the heart of all this because this trial centred on a one—year period, 2015—2060, without having many and many investigations into other years of her career and if there are any thing else that

require further criminal proceedings or certainly further investigations. and finally there will be questions and investigations into hospital decision—making. bbc panorama programme as we have been hearing has exposed some potential very, very serious questions about the hospital possibly decision—making process, potential allegations of failure to investigate concerns that were raised. so you have there those four areas that we will still be continuing to grapple with and still continue to investigate and deal with. but of course at the heart of all this is the families that have been so desperately impacted by the court proceedings to date. we have heard that the verdicts, although we could only report them today, this afternoon in the last few hours, they've actually been coming through to families in court over the last

few days. so there has been a period where some of those families have heard the guilty verdicts in relation to the nurse lucy letby, but that was not able to be reported. it was only today for the first time that we could report once all the decisions had been made. so we heard some of the reaction to those initial guilty verdicts where at that time, lucy letby was in court for those moments. we are seeing pictures of her arrest actually right now and she was present in court for some of the verdicts. we heard some reaction, and then she was not in court. so as other verdicts were handed down, she was not in court. and that raises other questions that will be looked at in the future about the compulsion or ways of compelling

people to be in court for