Lucy Letby jury told to disregard preconceived views

The judge continued: “You must cast out of your decision-making process any response or approach to the case based on emotion or any feelings of sympathy or antipathy you may have.

“It is instinctive for anyone to react with horror to any allegation of deliberately harming a child, the more so a vulnerable, very premature baby.”

He told jurors they would “naturally feel sympathy” for Baby K’s parents, but must use “common sense an collective good judgement” as they assess the evidence.

The judge, giving legal directions to the jury, said Letby’s convictions for murder and attempted murder “does not prove that she has committed this offence on this occasion”.

He added: “Her previous convictions may only be used as some support for the prosecution case if, having assessed the evidence, you are satisfied that it is right so to do.”

Baby K was transferred to a specialist hospital later on 17 February because of her extreme prematurity.

She died there three days later, although the prosecution does not allege Letby caused her death.

Letby became tearful in the dock as her barrister Ben Myers gave his own summing up.

He urged the jury not to use the defendant’s previous convictions to “beef up a fundamentally weak case”.

He said: “Miss Clancy [junior counsel] and I are here to defend Lucy Letby and that is what we will do.

“Standing up for her when no-one else is going to do that.

“For this to be a fair trial and for there to be a fair outcome on the evidence, that comes comes down to you ladies and gentlemen.

“It is you who decides. We say the medical evidence and general circumstances to this allegation do not get us close to be sure of Lucy Letby’s guilt.”

The trial continues.