Guernsey doctor describes "harrowing" experience giving evidence in Lucy Letby trial

Monday 21 August 2023

A Guernsey doctor has described the experience of acting as an expert witness during the trial of prolific baby killer Lucy Letby as a "long and harrowing experience".

Letby was last week found guilty of murdering seven babies on a neonatal unit in the UK.

The 33-year-old nurse deliberately injected air into babies, while also force-feeding others and poisoning two babies with insulin. She is due to be sentenced today.

"This was a long and harrowing experience for everyone involved," said Guernsey's Dr Sandie Bohin, who acted as expert witness during the trial.

"My heart goes out to the families of the babies who died or who were injured and for the additional trauma the parents endured of having to sit through the trial and listen to the evidence presented.

"I have acted as an expert witness for many years but this was by far the most significant case I have been involved in. What should have been a six-month trial was extended to nine.

"Involvement in a trial of this magnitude was a 'once in a career' experience, not only for me but for the legal teams and the Police.

"My role did not just involve giving evidence and hearing all the evidence given to the court, it also involved answering lawyers' questions in real time as the evidence was being heard. In the evening I wrote additional reports for the court and answered the barristers' medical questions as they arose."

Dr Bohin has offered her services to the National Crime Agency and for HM Coroner in the UK since 2005 and has only recently returned to her role as a consultant paediatrician for the Medical Specialist Group (MSG) in Guernsey.