Daily Mail

Police search nurse’s home in probe over 8 baby deaths

DETECTIVES were searching the home of a ‘dedicated’ nurse last night as they investigat­ed the deaths of 17 babies at a neonatal unit.

- By James Tozer, Liz Hull and Tom Payne

Officers cordoned off 28-year-old Lucy Letby’s house after saying 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 plain- clothed officers spent the afternoon at Miss Letby’s parents’ home 100 miles away. The dramatic developmen­t came after detectives were called in when a report highlighte­d a higher-thanusual number of deaths on the unit at Countess of Chester Hospital.

Consultant­s had noticed a ‘sudden mottling’ on the arms, legs and chests of premature or poorly 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.

The bombshell announceme­nt that police were looking at whether foul

play was involved caused shockwaves in the area yesterday.

Five years ago, Miss Letby was chosen as the face of a campaign to raise £3 million for the unit, which cared for premature or poorly babies. At the time, she said: ‘I enjoy seeing them progress and supporting their families.’

Shocked neighbours of Miss 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 Miss Letby’s modern £180,000 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 property.

One neighbour said: ‘I was woken by a police car arriving. This is a very quiet road and you don’t expect it to happen right on your street.’

Interviewe­d in 2013, Miss 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.

One neighbour said their only child was ‘a very career-driven person’, describing her as ‘so dedicated to her job’.

‘Her parents have been my neighbours for at least 25 years, so I watched Lucy grow up,’ she said.

‘Lucy lives away but visits them frequently as any good daughter would. They adored her ... they’d just got back from a week-long holiday in Torquay.’

She added: ‘I just truly can’t believe it. She was a delight. Her parents must be going through hell.’

A source last night told the Mail that a member of staff at the hospital had been suspended around 12 months ago and that ‘everyone from cleaners to doctors’ had been interviewe­d by detectives.

‘Her parents must be going through hell’

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.

Although the review could not find a reason for the increase in baby deaths between June 2015 and June 2016, it identified a string of concerns. These included signifi- cant gaps in medical and nursing rotas, insufficie­nt senior doctor cover, poor decision making and a reluctance by some staff to seek advice from colleagues.

Two babies died on the unit in 2013 and three in 2014, but mortality rates jumped to eight deaths in 2015 and by June 2016, five babies had already died that year.

The increased mortality rate prompted the hospital to stop caring for babies born before 32 weeks and to close its three intensive care cots.

In May last year the hospital called in police, who yesterday revealed they had made the arrest as the inquiry widened to an investigat­ion into 32 babies – 17 of whom died.

Detective Inspector Paul Hughes, of Cheshire Police, said: ‘This is a highly complex and very sensitive investigat­ion and, as you can appreciate, we need to ensure we do everything we possibly can to try to establish in detail what has led to these baby deaths and collapses.’ He said the arrest was ‘a significan­t step forward’.

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.

Neil Fearn, of Pryers Solicitors, who is representi­ng the family of a baby who died at the unit, said: ‘We are hopeful that the investigat­ion can provide answers for the families of these children.’

 ??  ?? Lucy Letby was the face of a 2013 fundraisin­g campaign
Lucy Letby was the face of a 2013 fundraisin­g campaign
 ??  ?? Search: A police tent outside the nurse’s home in Chester yesterday
Search: A police tent outside the nurse’s home in Chester yesterday
 ??  ?? Graduation day: Lucy Letby pictured in 2011
Graduation day: Lucy Letby pictured in 2011

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