Manslaughter probe at Countess of Chester Hospital widened

A police investigation on the hospital the place nurse Lucy Letby murdered seven infants and tried to kill seven others has been expanded to contemplate whether or not there was proof of gross negligence manslaughter.

Cheshire Police stated it opened a company manslaughter investigation on the Countess of Chester Hospital in October 2023.

Det Supt Paul Hughes stated: “As our enquiries have continued, the scope of the investigation has now widened to additionally embrace gross negligence manslaughter.”

An undisclosed variety of suspects have been notified by the pressure, he added, earlier than stressing that “no arrests or prices have but been made”.

The senior investigating officer stated: “It is a separate offence to company manslaughter and focuses on the grossly negligent motion or inaction of people.

“You will need to word that this doesn’t impression on the convictions of Lucy Letby for a number of offences of homicide and tried homicide.”

Referring to the gross negligence manslaughter investigation, Det Supt Hughes stated: “We is not going to be confirming the variety of individuals concerned or their identification.

“Each the company manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter parts of the investigation are persevering with and there are not any set timescales for these.”

He additionally stated his pressure was persevering with to research the deaths and non-fatal collapses of infants at each the Countess of Chester Hospital and the Liverpool Ladies’s Hospital between 2012 and 2016.

“Our precedence is to keep up the integrity of our ongoing investigations and to help the numerous households who’re on the coronary heart of those,” the senior detective stated.

Final month a world panel of neonatologists and paediatric specialists claimed Letby was not accountable for attacking infants.

Panel chairman Dr Shoo Lee informed a press convention “in all instances dying or harm have been as a result of pure causes or simply unhealthy medical care”.

The panel’s considerations have been handed to the Legal Circumstances Assessment Fee (CCRC), which investigates potential miscarriages of justice.

Letby’s authorized staff hopes her case shall be referred again to the Courtroom of Attraction.

Letby, initially from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life sentences for attacking infants on the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit between June 2015 and June 2016.

A public inquiry into the occasions surrounding her crimes will reconvene at Liverpool City Corridor on Monday for closing submissions.

Inquiry chair Woman Justice Thirlwall is anticipated to publish her findings within the autumn.