Radiologist says 'it stands to reason' that Lucy Letby deliberately injected ... trends now
A radiologist told the Lucy Letby trial today 'it stands to reason' a deliberate injection of air was the most likely explanation for a baby's stomach to become 'massively' swollen.
Dr Owen Arthurs, who practices at Great Ormond Street Hospital, was called in by the prosecution to view x-rays taken of Baby I both before and after she died at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
These showed that the infant's stomach had become so strikingly swollen that it was pushing up towards her diaphragm and therefore affecting her breathing.
Baby I's designated nurse has already recalled her 'very loud' and 'relentless' crying during two unexplained collapses on the neonatal ward in October, 2015.
Today Professor Arthurs said two-dimensional images of the baby's body showed a 'massive' level of swelling in her stomach.
Lucy Letby is accused of killing the premature-born infant, known as Child I, in the early hours of October 23, 2015
He added: 'It is quite unusual to see babies with this degree of dilation of the stomach'.
Such an enlargement could cause splints in the diaphragm that would then lead to respiratory complications.
Nick Johnson KC, prosecuting, asked how much air it would have taken to produce the images being viewed on a screen by the jury at Manchester Crown Court.
He replied: 'The truthful answer is we don't know, and I don't think anyone really knows, because experiments can't be carried out. We can't experiment on babies, giving them 50 or 100mls of air and taking x-rays'.
Professor Arthurs was aware of instances when medical staff had drawn out 15-20mls of air.
Asked how much air he believed had been injected into Baby I, he said: 'I'm guessing it would be more than that.'
Mr Johnson then asked whether it followed, in the absence of infection, that 'one is left with the inference that someone has deliberately injected air?'
He replied: 'I think that stands to reason.'
The prosecution alleges Letby made three attempts on the life of Baby I before finally succeeding in killing her in an attack launched on October 22, 2015. The infant died in the early hours of October 23.
Letby, 33, originally from Hereford, is on trial accused of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder 10 others. She denies all the charges.
Baby I's designated nurse has already recalled her 'very loud' and 'relentless' crying during two unexplained collapses on the neonatal ward in October, 2015. This is the cot belonging to Baby I during her hospital stay
Paediatrician Rachel Chang also took the stand today, breaking down in tears as she told the jury that seven years later she could still recall the desperate attempts
