Objective, really. there are certain measures you can take to try and ensure that the defendant is there in court. but at the end of the day, you can t physically drag them into court or physically make them read those notes or see the hearing. i mean, it is an idea you video and you take the proceedings today and you take the proceedings today and you show a tape to lucy letby or whoever has been convicted. that is possible. but this is an important part of the procedure. a very important part. but the really important part. but the really important part. but the really important part that the trial took place, that it was properly conducted, the right decision was reached, the right punishment has been imposed and that a thorough review and inquiry takes place to establish what exactly happens, the circumstances behind it and lessons to be learnt for the future. and whether lucy letby was guilty of
Pieces when she lost her battle for life, and it unleashed hell. letby, a nurse at the neonatal unit at the countess of chester hospital, killed and attacked tiny babies over a 12 month period. consultants on the unit had warned management about her involvement. there are no questions about the delays in moving her from clinical care and the time it took to call in the police. today, alison kelly, who was the director of nursing at the hospital at the time, was suspended from her current nhsjob. a public inquiry into letby s crimes has been announced. what form it will take, and its powers, has still to be decided. what s really important right now is to make sure we get the inquiry right, and we make sure that people, you know, the parents who faced these horrific crimes are getting the justice that they need, not only in the court with letby, but also from the inquiry as well. letby was driven to court from prison in wakefield
Look into everything that happened in this case and it s important that that inquiry, first and foremost, gets the answer that families need, ensures that we can learn the lessons from what happened, is conducted transparently, and happens as quickly as possible. so that s the inquiry that we ll set up and to make sure that we deliver on those objectives. on that inquiry, should we have a judge led statutory inquiry? well, i think the important thing for the inquiry to do is make sure that families get the answers that they need. that it is possible for us to learn the lessons from what happened. everything conducted transparently, and to happen as quickly as possible. those are the objectives that we want for the inquiry and we ll make sure that it s set up to deliver on those aims. well, my thoughts are with the victims families and the anger and frustration that i know they feel at the fact that she won t face justice in the way that she should. when i was director of public prosec
Course be looked at now by an independent inquiry that was announced by the uk governmentjust in the hours after the conclusion of this trial on friday and there are many questions that will need to be answered about who knew what and how lucy letby was able to continue offending over that period of a year that was covered by this trial. but of course, the investigation is now widening to her entire nursing career and other situations, other moments where she could potentially have done this to other babies before she was caught and stopped. anna foster at manchester crown court, thank you very much for bringing us the latest from there. danny shaw is an independent crime and justice commentator, and a former bbc correspondent. it is good to talk to you. let s start with the sentencing today and the fact that lucy letby couldn t be compelled to appear before the judge. there have been calls for that law to be changed for some
On each and every offence, and you will spend the rest of your life in prison. well, as we ve been reporting, letby s refusal to appear in the dock at the sentencing has prompted significant controversy. so, has the government been too slow to change the law to force offenders to attend their sentencing hearings? that was the question put to prime minister rishi sunak a little earlier. i think the first thing is to extend my sympathies to everyone affected by this. i think, like everyone reading about this, it is just shocking and harrowing. now, i think it s cowardly that people who commit such horrendous crimes do not face their victims and hear first hand the impact that their crimes have had on them and theirfamilies and loved ones. we are looking, and have been, at changing the law to make sure that that happens, and that s something that we will bring forward in due course. should hospital managers be as accountable as doctors and nurses? well, we re setting up an inquiry that wi