The ordinary lives of Lucy Letby’s parents — and how mum tried to take the blame

Lucy Letby has been given a whole life sentence and will spend the rest of her days behind bars. The neonatal nurse killed seven babies while working at the Countess of Chester Hospital , targeting 17 babies between June 2015 and June 2016, a jury found. Letby refused to appear in court during her sentencing. And while her parents didn’t show up either, Jonathan and Susan Letby were there for every single other day of the trial. The pair are said to have doted on their daughter, their only child, regularly holidaying together and often staying at each other’s houses – a family that has now been torn apart. But who exactly are the parents? Express.co.uk takes a look into their lives and the relationship they had with their daughter.  John and Susan Letby arrive at Manchester Crown Court on August 17, 2023 (Image: GETTY) Letby was born in Hereford on January 4, 1990, to furniture boss John Letby, then 44, and accounts clerk Susan Letby , then 29. They were a close-knit family from the start, and Mr Letby, now 77, and Mrs Letby, 63, “hated it” when Letby did not return home after graduating from university – something that she said made her feel ‘constantly guilty’. While little is known about Mr and Mrs Letby individually, information about their life with Letby has been weaned from correspondence with friends.  Messaging a friend who had mentioned emigrating to New Zealand, Letby said: ‘I couldn’t leave my parents. They would be completely devastated. Find it hard enough being away from me now and it’s only 100 miles. ‘I came here to uni and didn’t go back. They hate it and I feel guilty for staying here sometimes but it’s what I want.’ ‘My parents worry massively about everything and anything, hate that I live alone etc,” she told another friend. “I feel bad because I know it’s really hard for them especially as I’m an only child, and they mean well, just a little suffocating at times and constantly feel guilty.” Lucy Letby has been sentenced to life in prison after her murder spree (Image: GETTY) Mr and Mrs Letby were so determined to hear all the evidence against their daughter that they relocated to Manchester from Hereford for the duration of the trial.  When the guilty verdicts rolled in last week, Mrs Letby reportedly broke down in tears, and cried: “You can’t be serious. This cannot be right.” According to the Daily Mail , Mrs Letby became distraught when her daughter was first arrested in 2018. She is said to have begun wailing and crying, and even tried to pin the blame on herself, telling police: “I did it, take me instead.” One neighbour of the family told The Times they were distraught in the aftermath of the arrest. “She’s an only child,” they said. “Do I have to say anymore? I just feel for them so much. I feel so helpless that there is nothing we can do.” The Letbys arrive to court on August 16 (Image: GETTY) Neighbours remembered that Letby was a “delight” to her parents growing up, and was always showered in love and praise. She had a part-time job at WHSmith as a teenager, and her parents were overjoyed when she became the first in their family to go to university. Before moving to Manchester , Mr and Mrs Letby had lived in the same house they raised their daughter in since the Nineties, a 1930s-era semi-detached home in a cul-de-sac. When she graduated in December 2011 the pair contacted their local paper, the Hereford Times, to mark the occasion with an announcement. “Letby Lucy BSc Hons in Child Nursing,” they wrote alongside a picture of her wearing a mortarboard and holding her degree certificate. “We are so proud of you after all your hard work. Love Mum and Dad.”