A nurse accused of murdering eight babies and attempting to murder 10 more has been denied bail.
Lucy Letby, 30, is charged with the murders of five boys and three girls said to have been committed during a year-long spree while she worked on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
She is also accused of the attempted murder of another five boys and five girls, all between June 2015 and June 1016.
Letby appeared in the dock for the first time on Friday at Chester Crown Court, following an earlier appearance via videolink at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
The nurse, wearing grey jogging bottoms and a grey sweatshirt and carrying a bottle of water, spoke only to confirm her name throughout the hearing, which lasted around four hours and dealt with preliminary matters and a bail application.
She waved to her parents sitting in the public gallery as she came in and out of court during brief adjournments.
Her father mouthed ‘I love you’ back to her.
Ben Myers QC, representing Letby, made the application for bail, which was held in private and later refused by the judge.
Letby, from Hereford, was remanded in custody ahead of a further hearing at Liverpool Crown Court on November 18.
She was arrested in 2018 and 2019 as part of the police investigation into the Countess of Chester Hospital, which began in 2017.
Police have said parents of all the babies involved were being kept fully updated on developments and supported by officers.
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