An Indian-origin consultant pediatrician, at a hospital in northern England, has raised concerns and helped secure the conviction of a nurse in a British court for the murder of seven children on Friday.
Dr. Ravi Jayaram, from the Countess of Chester Hospital in Chester, said some lives could have been saved if police had been alerted sonn to Lucy Latby, a former colleague of the nurse.
Latby, 33, was convicted by a jury at Manchester Crown Court for murdering seven children and attempted murder against six infants. The court will pronounce a jail sentence on her on Monday.
Dr Jayaram, in a televised interview with ITV News, said, “I really believe there are four or five children who could have been going to school but they are not.” He told the channel that the counselors first raised concerns after the death of three children in June 2015. As more children fainted and died, senior doctors like him held several meetings with the hospital authorities to express their concerns about Letby.
Finally, in April 2017, the National Health Service (NHS) Trust allowed doctors to meet police officers.
Dr. Jayaram said that When the police listened to them, in less than 10 minutes, they realised this was something they had to deal with.
Soon after, an investigation began that led to Latby’s arrest.
Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) told the court that Latby used a number of methods to covertly assault a total of 13 babies in the neonatal ward at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016.
During her trial, which began in October last year, Manchester Crown Court heard that doctors at the hospital had noticed a decent hike in the number of babies dying suddenly.
The CPS presented evidence of Latby using a variety of methods to attack the children, including injecting air and insulin into their bloodstream; circulation of air in their gastrointestinal tract; feeding excessive amounts of milk or fluids.
The doctor said that time and again, she harmed babies, in an environment that was safe for them and their families. Her acts were a complete betrayal of the trust placed in her.
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