Loose Women’s Ruth Langford chokes back tears as she discusses killer nurse Lucy Letby – ahead of her being sentenced to life in prison

An emotional Ruth Langford had to hold back tears as she discussed murderous nurse Lucy Letby during Monday’s Loose Women.

The host, 63, read about the killer’s refusal to attend court and listen to impact statements from the families of the seven babies she killed.

Ruth had tears in her eyes as she introduced the discussion to her fellow panelists, explaining that Lucy would not leave her cell to face the dock.

Despite the broadcaster’s voice cracking as she read the words “babies she killed,” she managed to regain her composure and carry on with the show.

Lucy Letby will die behind bars after a judge sentences her to life in prison, becoming only the fourth woman to receive a life sentence after Myra Hindley, Rose West and triple murderer Joanna Dennehy.

The decision not to go to court to hear her fate has been labeled “a coward’s last act of wickedness” – and has sparked even more calls for new laws to force criminals to go to trial.

Families of the 33-year-old’s victims shared how their world was “shattered by evil masquerading as a caring nurse,” telling her “you’re nothing.”

Judge Goss said Letby showed a “morbid fascination” with seriously ill children, inflicting “acute pain” as they desperately fought for life.

He told the court: “You acted in a manner that was completely contrary to the normal human instincts of feeding and caring for babies and a gross violation of the trust that all citizens place in those who work in the medical and nursing professions. .

“The babies you hurt were born prematurely and some were in danger of dying, but in any case you hurt them on purpose, with the intention of killing them.”

The judge said Lucy would get copies of his comments and the personal statements of her victims’ families.

He said only she knew what had prompted her to embark on a “cruel, calculated and cynical campaign of infanticide,” noting that she had “coldly denied any responsibility for your misdeeds.”

The judge said the nurse prided herself on her professionalism, allowing her to harm children without suspicion and displaying “maliciousness bordering on sadism.” He said she had employed tactics such as attacking babies when other staff were on break before keeping medical records as “morbid records” of her assaults.

Families of the victims told this morning how their world was “devastated by evil disguised as a caring nurse,” as they told her “you are nothing.”

The parents of Baby A, who was killed by Letby in 2015, and his twin sister Baby B – who was attacked but survived – spoke of their pain in a victim impact statement read in court. They said, ‘We never got to hold our little boy when he was alive because you took him away. What should have been the happiest time of our lives turned into our worst nightmare.”

Child C’s mother, who weighed just 1lb 12oz when killed by Letby, described the “overwhelming emotion” she felt when she held her son for the first time. She said, “It was like I had never experienced it before. My feisty little boy, my firstborn, my son. The trauma of that night will stay with all of us until the day we die. Knowing his killer was watching us was like something out of a horror story.”

She said she blamed herself for his death and failed to protect him, adding, “What if I hadn’t gone to bed that night?” Maybe he’d still be here.’

Child D’s mother said Letby’s “poor sense of entitlement” led her to claim lives “that weren’t yours.”