Lucy Letby's barrister tells murder trial 'there's no direct evidence' to back up allegations against her - and says she's become a 'target'

Lucy Letby's barrister has told her trial 'there's no direct evidence of her doing any of the acts alleged against her' - and claimed she has become a 'target'. The neonatal unit where the nurse allegedly went on a killing spree could not cope with taking on more babies with greater care needs, a jury has also heard.

In his defence closing speech at Manchester Crown Court, Ben Myers KC told the jury of eight women and four men that the 'right verdicts'. to return against her were not guilty. Miss Letby, 33, is accused of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder 10 others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016. She denies the charges.

On Friday, Mr Myers said: "There's no direct evidence of her doing any of the acts alleged against her. And that reason, however unwelcome in some quarters, is that she did not do this. It can't keep happening like that if she did.

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"Between June 2015 and June 2016, the neonatal unit took more babies than it would usually care for and with greater care needs. You have heard that repeatedly.

"In that same year, there was an increase in the number of deaths and type of collapses you are looking at in this trial. What did not change was Miss Letby. She was dedicated. She cared for hundreds of babies. She did not suddenly change.

"What changed was the babies cared for on the unit in terms of their numbers and needs, and we say the inability of this unit to cope.

"But no one is going to come here and admit that are they?" The barrister said it was 'easy to lose sight of the person at the centre of this'.

He pointed to one of the notes found at her home in Chester