Letby 'advised to write notes to combat stress'

Scribbled notes used to help convict Lucy Letby of the murder of seven babies were written on the advice of professionals to deal with extreme stress, the Guardian has learned.

- Felicity Lawrence

The notes were relied on as amounting to a confession by the prosecution during the neonatal nurse's first trial and on appeal, but sources close to the case said they were produced after counselling sessions as part of a therapeutic process in which she was advised to write down troubling thoughts.

Densely written on Post-it notes and a torn sheet of paper, the notes were overwritten in places and sometimes highlighted in capitals. They included the words: "I am evil I did this," "I killed them on purpose because I am not good enough to care for them and I am a horrible evil person," and "hate".

The prosecution used the notes to help build the case against Letby, ending the opening case outline by highlighting the phrase: "I am evil I did this."

Throughout the trial, the jury was repeatedly reminded of that statement, and encouraged to interpret the notes literally.

But in the same notes, Letby also wrote "not good enough", "why me?" "I haven't done anything wrong" and "police investigation slander discrimination victimisation".

Now widely referred to in the media as the confession notes, they were written after some colleagues started suspecting her. They referenced her family and pets and colleagues at work, and described suicidal thoughts: "Kill myself right now", "help", "despair panic fear lost", "I feel very alone and scared".

There have been mounting questions in recent weeks over the safety of Letby's conviction, against the backdrop of a public inquiry that is set to begin receiving evidence next week. A group of leading experts have called on the government to postpone or change the terms of reference of the inquiry over these concerns, including questions about some of the evidence presented at the trial.