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A childhood friend of Lucy Letby has insisted she always stood by the killer nurse – as video emerged of her on a ‘night of terror’ during their teenage years.
The footage was captured nearly seven years to the day, the day the killer doctor attempted to murder a group of twins.
Letby, 33, is Britain’s most prolific child killer and was sentenced to an unprecedented 14 life orders yesterday, meaning she will die in prison.
A judge said she had shown ‘maliciousness bordering on sadism’ following a ‘cruel, calculated and cynical campaign to murder children’.
But despite 10 months of damning evidence against Letby being aired in one of Britain’s longest trials, her schoolmate Dawn Howe refuses to accept her guilt.
Asked yesterday if she still stood by comments in an interview on Friday that she would ‘never believe she is guilty’, Ms Howe told the Telegraph: ‘I stand by that statement.
She is still tagged in two videos from a drunken night out in 2009 with Letby and her friends on social media, dubbed the “Night of Terror.”
Although Lucy Letby was found guilty by a jury after a 10-month trial, her friend Dawn Howe still insists on her innocence
Letby, Mrs Howe and a group of friends crouch around a swimming pool, two of them poking their heads through inflatable rings
It shows the killer nurse holding Dawn as they stagger down the street.
Photographs released when they were teenagers, which have still not been deleted despite Letby’s horrific crimes, also show Ms Howe and her close friend Letby enjoying life in Hereford, where they both grew up.
In one photo, the two wear helmets and waterproof tops as they prepare to embark on an exhilarating adventure with other classmates.
A friend, who still has the image on her Facebook from posts in 2007: “Go get outfits.”
In another image, Letby, Mrs Howe and a group of friends crouch around a swimming pool, two of them poking their heads through inflatable rings. The photo is accompanied by the comment: ‘Swimming pool. Discover the cool glasses.
Ms Howe and her close friend Letby are enjoying life in Hereford, where they both grew up as teenagers
Letby makes a face on ‘Night of Terror’ in a photo taken by one of her teenage friends years ago
Letby and her friend beam in this candid image which appeared to show them as an encore
Other images show the couple with friends in 2007 along with the caption: “Girls.”
Another shows Letby on a couch surrounded by friends while playfully raising her fingers with a happy, nonchalant expression on her face after a night out accompanied by the comment: “Posing.”
Photos of Letby, Ms Howe and other friends show the former nurse’s happy, carefree life and the strong bonds they developed.
Ms Howe has known Letby since they attended Aylestone Secondary School together in Hereford.
In an interview with BBC Panorama on Friday, she claimed all of Letby’s friends still supported her despite the murderous nurse’s conviction for murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six others.
She said, “Unless Lucy turns around and says I’m guilty, I’ll never believe she’s guilty.”
‘We know she couldn’t have done anything she’s been accused of, so we definitely support her.
“I grew up with Lucy and not a single thing that I have ever seen or witnessed of Lucy would lead me to believe for a moment that she is capable of the thing of which she is accused.
Letby, 33, is Britain’s most prolific child killer and was sentenced to an unprecedented 14 life orders yesterday, meaning she will die in prison. She is pictured at a party (left) and in a photo from police custody (right)
“That’s the most inappropriate accusation you could ever level against Lucy. Think of your sweetest, sweetest friend and think he’s being accused of hurting babies.
Ms Howe told BBC journalist Judith Moritz that Letby always wanted to be a nurse and had a difficult birth herself.
She said it was the only career her friend ever mentioned, adding: She was very grateful to be alive for the nurses who helped save her life.
She also accused the police of “trying to build a case, to find someone guilty to find someone to blame” as they maintained Letby’s innocence.
The serial killer was described as appearing shy and reserved, but ‘let his hair down’ and was ‘awkward’ and ‘bubbly’ when surrounded by close friends – whom she told not to come to court to support her.
Cowardly Letby was given a life sentence yesterday for the seven counts of murder and seven of attempted murder she was convicted of, meaning she received a total of 14.
The NHS nurse is the fourth woman to receive a life order after Myra Hindley, Rose West and triple killer Joanna Dennehy.
The killer refused to come out of the cells to hear his fate, a move one victim’s father called “a coward’s last act of wickedness”.
Delivering her remarks on the sentencing as if she were still in the room, Judge Goss said Letby exhibited a ‘morbid fascination’ with seriously ill children and inflicted ‘sharp pain’ on them as they desperately fought for safety. life.
Letby posing in front of a group of women on a hen hours before he murdered his first victim
Ms Howe told BBC journalist Judith Moritz that Letby always wanted to be a nurse and had a difficult birth herself.
He told the court: ‘You have acted in a manner totally contrary to normal human instincts to feed and care for babies and in flagrant breach of the trust that all citizens place in those working in the medical and caring professions .
“The babies you injured were born prematurely and some were at risk of not surviving, but in each case you deliberately injured them, intending to kill them.”
The judge said Letby would receive copies of his remarks and personal statements from the families of his victims.
He said only Letby knew what drove her to embark on a “cruel, calculated and cynical campaign of child murder”, and noted that she had “coldly denied responsibility for your wrongdoings”.
Ms Howe has known Letby since they attended Aylestone Secondary School together in Hereford.
In an interview with BBC Panorama on Friday, she claimed all of Letby’s friends still supported her despite the murderous nurse’s conviction for murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six others.