Police search nurse’s house in probe over 8 baby deaths in the UK
DETECTIVES in the UK were searching the home of a ‘dedicated’ nurse last night as they investigated the deaths of 17 babies at a neonatal unit.
Officers cordoned off 28-yearold Lucy Letby’s house and said they had arrested a healthcare worker on suspicion of the murder of eight babies and the attempted murder of six.
Police last night refused to reveal the suspect’s identity as plainclothed officers spent the afternoon at Ms Letby’s parents’ home 160km away.
The dramatic development came after detectives were called in when a report highlighted a higher-than-usual number of deaths on a unit at Countess of Chester Hospital in Chester, Cheshire, northwest England.
Consultants had noticed a ‘sudden mottling’ on the arms, legs and chests of premature or sick babies who unexpectedly deteriorated and had to be resuscitated, and noted ‘similarities’ with cases of babies who died.
Detectives said they had widened their investigation to cover the deaths of 17 babies, plus 15 cases which they referred to as non-fatal collapses, between March 2015 and July 2016.
Five years ago, Ms Letby was chosen as the face of a campaign to raise £3million for the unit, which cares for premature or unwell babies. At the time, she said: ‘I enjoy seeing them progress and supporting their families.’
Shocked neighbours of Ms Letby’s parents in Hereford described her as ‘very career-driven’, and said she had been dedicated about getting a job in the NHS.
Solicitors representing some of the bereaved parents said they were ‘hopeful the investigation can provide answers’.
At 6am yesterday, police arrived at Ms Letby’s three-bedroom semi-detached house in Chester, about a mile from the hospital. A car with an NHS parking permit in the windscreen was moved from the driveway as a police tent was erected, and officers were seen removing items from the home.
Interviewed in 2013, Ms Letby said she had worked at the neonatal unit since graduating as a children’s nurse from the University of Chester two years previously.
Pictured holding a tiny sleepsuit in support of a local newspaper’s fundraising appeal, she added: ‘My role involves caring for a wide range of babies requiring various levels of support.
‘Some are here for a few days, others for many months and I enjoy seeing them progress and supporting their families. I am currently undergoing extra training in order to develop and enhance my knowledge and skills within the intensive care area.’
In 2011, her parents, John and Susan, posted a message in their local newspaper along with a picture of their daughter proudly wearing her mortar board hat to congratulate her on graduating with honours. Officers were yesterday speaking to Mr Letby, 73, and his 58-year-old wife at their home.
Police were called in after a damning 2016 report from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health found staffing at the unit was inadequate.
Detective Inspector Paul Hughes, of Cheshire Police, yesterday said the arrest was ‘a significant step forward’ in the investigation.
The hospital’s medical director, Ian Harvey, said: ‘Asking the police to look into this was not something we did lightly, but we need to do everything we can to understand what has happened here and get the answers we and the families so desperately want.’
The unit remains open to women over 32 weeks into their pregnancy and Mr Harvey said he was ‘confident’ it was safe.
‘Hope inquiry can provide answers’