I did meet Lucy Letby a few years ago. I was walking through a park with a bunch of flowers in my hand, a big bunch of petunias, lavender and freesias, on the way to my mother-in-laws, whom I intended to present the flowers to (a thank you for a lovely cardi she had knitted for me) and I saw her coming in the opposite direction along the path. I didn't know who she was then, and thought nothing of it (I only know it was her in retrospect and things immediately added up) She was just another stranger. I do not even remember what she was wearing, I only noticed she was blonde and somewhat stereotypically pretty, in a girl next door sort of way, however, as we went to pass each other under a rather large oriental plane tree, she suddenly made a right swerve towards me, and asked me for the time, she explained her phone battery had died. I had to dig in my bag a bit to find mine, and asked her to hold the flowers while I rummaged and she apologised for putting me through so much trouble, and I said 'no, you're all right!' I don't now recall exactly what time it was was, but it would have been some time just past midday. Anyway I eventually found my phone and I told her the time and she handed the flowers back and thanked me and then continued walking off. Seemed perfectly charming.
I continued walking to my MIL's and dropped off the flowers.
But as I was walking back, I passed under the same oriental plane tree and I noticed there was now a dead crow fallen to the ground that looked strangely freshly dead. I covered it with grass and leaves.
The next day I rang my MIL and asked her where she finally decided to place the flowers.
She sounded strangely upset, she said 'thank you for the flowers, I placed them by the kitchen window, but where on earth did you buy them? They're all dead'. My MIL is in her late 70s so I politely asked her if she had the correct ones and whether she had put some other substance besides water in them.
Somewhat crossly, she said no, they are completely dead and dried up as if they had been dead for weeks!
It was very peculiar, but I just assumed she was confused and getting a touch of early onset dementia.
That same day I was preparing dinner and seasoning the salmon and was in a bit of a rush, since I needed to collect our cat from the Vets later, and somehow dropped my heavy stone pestle and mortar on my left foot, breaking all my toes.
After I returned from hospital, my husband picked up our cat, but it wouldn't come near me. Unfortunately he put it out in the garden as we didn't have a litter tray, but the cat never returned, I was heartbroken and looked everywhere, put up posters, everything, to no avail.
It was a couple years later when I saw the newspapers with her face and the video of her being arrested...that, pretty, next door looking face, and that so obviously true blonde hair, not out of a packet that I remembered her! I couldn't stop myself from shaking!
Of course no one who is not the very essence of evil refuses to cry whilst looking so extremely at ease. I said as much to DH whilst crying, (I cry a lot as DH can attest) and there's no way I'd not be under such circumstances as she was in!
Of course being blonde and pretty she took advantage of it to commit her crimes. She's as guilty as sin, I said as much to DH, who actually had the temerity to put a good word in for her and suggest she might be numb or in shock or even on anti-depressants!! Possibly, he said even not guilty!! As if such a thing could be possible when our justice system never makes mistakes!! I couldn't put up with it, I just left the room. I myself am a brunette and often catch DH looking at blonde headed women, it's been a point of contention in our marriage. Untrustworthy all of them, but I try not to get angry, because I know they make him look of course; think they're the bees knees such women. Think they're irresistible. Think they can deceive anyone. Just like this Letby did. Deceiving the public, even doctors at the very top of their profession, she's got them round her finger too. Well she deceived me on the footpath too that day.
Anyway it all added up and I realised I had been in the presence of true evil and had had a lucky escape!! I realise I must hone my intuition skills more sharply as it all came to me after she was identified as a wrong one and not before!! So I've been working on it and now I have it down. I can now just look at someone and know they are wrong. Body language. Facial expressions. I told DH the other day, I suspect the replacement postman is shifty and low and behold it turns out he is stopping for too long at no. 29. She's blonde too and rather too smiley at inappropriate times. Right on the money.
I still don't walk under that oriental plane tree...