BBC has been slammed after the broadcaster's religious show Thought For the Day asked listeners to forgive everyone – including Lucy Letby.

Catherine Pepinster admitted it would take a "superhuman" to forgive Letby but said the killer should still be supported and treated like a human being.

The sadistic nurse was this week handed a whole life order for killing seven babies and attempting to kill six more at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016.

Ms Pepinster told Radio 4's Thought of The Day on Friday: "There are times when although I’m a Christian I find some aspects of Christianity hard to take.

"Yet Christianity requires that we don’t just pray for those families but we also consider that Letby as much as anyone else is loved by God and can seek his forgiveness."

She added: "It’s not for me or anyone else apart from the almighty and the parents to forgive Letby. And frankly, for them to forgive her would probably require her to be superhuman."

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Ms Pepinster said that inside prison there were people "willing to encounter the prisoner as a person despite their terrible deeds" – adding "that is as it should be".

Ms Pepinster said Letby's case had personally "outraged" her, adding Christianity could potentially complicate the process of forgiveness for some.

But Ms Pepinster said while forgiveness may be out of the question, Letby should not be denied support in prison.

And she disagreed with the consensus that "authorities should throw away the key" on the 33-year-old, suggesting rehabilitation is possible.

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This, she said, would allow prison support workers like chaplains to get prisoners like Letby to "face up to the crucial ‘why’ – why did you do such things".

Letby has never provided a motive for her heinous acts.

But Ms Pepinster's comments sparked a mixed response online, with one accusing her of being "totally disrespectful".

One person blasted on X: "Today's thought for the day in my opinion was out of order and totally disrespectful to the family of those babies, given how fresh in the minds Letby's court case is."

Another added: "It really is time to ditch this #TFTD."

But one person argued: "Good 'TFTD' reflections… 'It is only by both facing the horror of their actions and seeing them as human, with free will, that they can be held fully responsible for their actions'."

While a fourth added: "Not usually a big fan of thought for the day, but today's [sic]… was exceptional on #LucyLetby."

The BBC has been approached for comment.

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