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UK nurse charged with baby murders appears in court

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Mario Marco, Getty Images

A British nurse appeared in court on Thursday charged with the murder of eight babies and 10 counts of attempted murder at a hospital in northwest England.

Lucy Letby, 30, was arrested for a third time on Tuesday as part of an investigation that began in 2017 into baby deaths at the Countess of Chester Hospital in Chester, northwestern England.

The defendant, from Hereford in western England, faces eight counts of murder and 10 charges of attempted murder during the period from June 2015 to 2016.

The charges relate to children under 12 months old.

The presiding judge at Warrington Magistrates' Court remanded Letby in custody until an appearance at Chester Crown Court on Friday afternoon.

She appeared in court via videolink and spoke only to confirm her name, date of birth and address during the 10-minute hearing.

Prosecutor Pascale Jones told the court there were "substantial grounds" to believe that the defendant needed to be remanded in custody for her own protection.

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