‘Evil nurse tried to kill me’
ESCAPE IN HELL HOSPITAL
A PENSIONER has revealed how he escaped death at the hands of a killer nurse.
Philip Jones, 67, was battling cellulitis at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport, near Manchester, when he was targeted by Victorino Chua.
He was one of at least five patients on his ward to suffer a hypoglycaemic attack, which can cause brain damage or even death.
What no-one knew was that Chua had contaminated saline drips with insulin, which caused dangerously low blood sugar levels.
Philip, who was a patient in June 2011, said: “The nurse came and she said I had blood in my cannula and then within five seconds I started getting hot and sweaty.
“I got up to wash my face at the sink which is only a few yards away…but I didn’t make it to the sink. I fell on the bed.
“My breathing was terrible and another nurse came, opening these packets of glucose and telling me to swallow it. But I’m still sweating and they’re asking me questions.
“I knew what questions he was asking me, but I was answering them wrong.
“It was very scary. I didn’t know what to think because I just thought I’d gone into hospital for antibiotics.”
The wave of hypoglycaemic attacks at Stepping Hill left the hospital in lockdown and sparked nationwide panic at hospitals.
Chua’s actions caused the deaths of two patients – Tracey Arden, 44, inset, and Derek Weaver, 83.
In March 2014 he was finally found guilty of 33 charges – including two counts of murder – and jailed for a minimum of 35 years. Philip said he was “one of the lucky ones”.
The shocking events at Stepping Hill feature in the TV series Crimes That Shook Britain.
Bosses at Stepping Hill have revised security since the attacks but admit they can’t guarantee it won’t happen again. Stockport NHS Trust’s medical director Dr James Catania said: “Fundamentally you can’t legislate against any person who wants to commit a criminal act and hospitals, by their own nature, are very open places.”
A statement from the hospital said: “Whilst no hospital’s systems and processes can offer a complete guarantee against the actions of a determined criminal, additional measures are now in place which go beyond standard practice.”
Crimes That Shook Britain is tonight at 10pm on Crime & Investigation, Sky channel 553.