Nurse Lucy Letby has told jurors that “killing babies” was not on her mind as she prepared for a holiday in Ibiza.

Letby denies murdering seven babies and attempting to murder 10 others on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.

The 33-year-old is accused of attempting to murder one baby the day before she flew to the Spanish island with friends.

It is alleged she went on to murder a newborn on her first shift back from the holiday – and then killed his brother the next day.

Giving evidence at Manchester Crown Court, Letby agreed with her barrister Ben Myers KC that the allegations against her were of the “most grave nature”.

She said that in June 2016 she had a “busy, active life” outside of work, with “lots of” hobbies and friends.

Mr Myers asked her about an exchange of WhatsApp messages with a nurse, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, on 13 June, in which they referenced packing and joked about appearing on Love Island.

Letby told the court: “So myself, [the nurse] and the other person were going on holiday together.”

Mr Myers said: “How did you feel?”

Letby said: “We were excited. We were looking forward to it.”

She told the court she was “happy to go to work” but she was also “looking forward to time off and going on holiday.”

Mr Myers said: “In the middle of that were you planning on killing babies?”

Letby said: “No.”

Mr Myers said: “That’s what the prosecution are saying.”

Letby said: “That didn’t happen.”

Mr Myers said: “Is that what was on your mind?”

“No,” said Letby.

Nurse denies ‘doing nothing’ when baby collapsed

Letby was on holiday from 16 June to 22 June, the court heard.

On successive days on 23 and 24 June, she is alleged to have murdered two triplet brothers, Child O and P.

Earlier, Letby said she was in a different nursery when a doctor alleged he saw her “doing nothing” when a baby girl collapsed on the unit.

The defendant is alleged to have deliberately dislodged the infant’s breathing tube shortly before a consultant walked into nursery one.

Giving evidence earlier this year, Dr Ravi Jayaram said he saw Letby standing by the incubator of Child K as her blood oxygen levels plummeted.

No alarms were sounding, he said, and he recalled the nurse was “doing nothing”.

On Tuesday, Letby said she was feeding another baby in nursery two at or shortly before 3.50am on 17 February 2016.

Mr Myers asked: “Did you interfere with [Child K’s] tube?

“No,” replied Letby.

Mr Myers said: “Was there a time when you were in the nursery and Ravi Jayaram came in and he found you to be standing there close to [Child K]?”

Letby said: “No.”

Mr Myers said: “Do you recall any incident when you were present while [Child K] deteriorated and Ravi Jayaram was involved at about 3.50am?”

Letby said: “No I don’t.”

Mr Myers said: “Or at any other time?”

Letby said: “No.”

The defendant told the court she was feeding another baby at “roughly” 3.30am, which involved changing a nappy and giving 55ml of milk via a nasogastric tube.

Mr Myers asked: “How long would that take?”

Letby said: “Around half an hour potentially.”

Mr Myers said: “If that is ongoing do you have any reason to be in nursery one at or shortly before 3.50am?”

Letby replied: “No, I was with this baby.”

The Crown allege Letby struck less than two hours after the extremely premature youngster was born.

Child K was transferred later that day on February 17 to Wirral’s Arrowe Park Hospital, where she died three days later.

The prosecution does not allege Letby caused her death.

Letby, from Hereford, denies all the allegations.

The trial continues.

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