THE trial of Lucy Letby, the Countess of Chester Hospital nurse accused of multiple baby murders, begins today (Tuesday, October 4).

Letby, 32, will be appearing at Manchester Crown Court, the venue for the trial which is expected to last six months.

Letby has denied all 17 charges which have been presented to her – seven of murder, 10 of attempted murder.

A total of 17 babies, seven of whom died, are listed as alleged victims.

All the charges relate to fatal and non-fatal collapses at the Countess of Chester Hospital while Letby was working as a nurse in the neonatal unit, where vulnerable new-borns are treated, between June 2015 and June 2016.

Letby, of Arran Avenue, Hereford, was first charged with a number of offences in November 2020 and has been in custody ever since. Prior to her first arrest in July 2018, she had been living in Chester.

The first day of the trial is expected to finalise the jury. Eligible jurors will have to make themselves available until the end of April 2023 so they can be present for every day of the trial.

It is understood the final jury will have been chosen from a longlist of about 140 potential jurors.

A court order prohibits reporting of the identities of surviving and deceased children allegedly attacked by Letby, and prohibits identifying the parents or witnesses connected with the children.