The UK nurse was found guilty of murdering five boys and two girls. Photo: AP

A neonatal nurse in a British hospital has been found guilty of killing seven babies and trying to kill six others. The verdict was passed on Friday.

Lucy Letby, 33, was charged with murder in the deaths of five baby boys and two girls, and the attempted murder of five boys and five girls, when she worked at the Countess of Chester Hospital in northwest England between 2015 and 2016.

She was accused of deliberately harming the newborn infants in various ways, including by injecting air into their bloodstreams and administering air or milk into their stomachs via nasogastric tubes.

She also was accused of poisoning infants by adding insulin to intravenous feeds and interfering with breathing tubes. Letby denied all the charges.

A jury of seven women and four men deliberated for 22 days before reaching the verdict. One juror was excused well into deliberations for personal reasons and the judge later gave the remaining 11 jurors the option of reaching a verdict with 10 people in agreement instead of a unanimous decision.

AP