A British nurse accused of murdering eight babies and trying to kill 10 others will remain detained as her case proceeds, ABC News reports.
A judge on Friday denied 30-year-old Lucy Letby bail in connection with case, rejecting an application from her attorney.
Judge Steven Everett also prohibited publication of information that might reveal the identities of victims and witnesses.
Letby appeared in court and spoke to verify her name, but otherwise did not participate in the hearing, according to the news outlet.
As CrimeOnline previously reported. authorities allege Letby committed the crimes between 2015 and 2016 in the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital, about 15 miles south of Liverpool in northwest England.
This week marked the third time that Letby has been arrested in connection with the allegations. Authorities previously arrested her in 2018 and 2019, but she had not been charged until now.
Prosecutors have charged Letby with murdering five boys and three girls—each was younger than 1 years old—and the attempted murder of five boys and five girls, according to BBC News.
Most of the infants who died were born prematurely, and the hearts and lungs of many of the deceased victims failed despite resuscitation attempts, an internal investigation found.
The deaths prompted the hospital to shut down its neonatal units for 32 weeks, and the hospital at one point was criticized by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health because of the death rate.
Letby told a local newspaper in 2013 that she “enjoyed nursing babies [so] that she could see them progress and support their families,” BBC News reports.
Police have restricted disclosure of information about the case, describing it as “highly complex and very sensitive,” according to ABC News.
