Nurse arrested for third time over the deaths of 8 babies
A NURSE has been arrested for the third time on suspicion of murdering eight babies and attempting to murder another nine in a neonatal unit.
Lucy Letby was arrested in 2018 and again in 2019 and bailed pending further inquiries over the deaths at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Det Ch Insp Paul Hughes of Cheshire Police confirmed a ‘healthcare professional’ had been rearrested yesterday. ‘The woman is currently in custody helping officers with their inquiries,’ he added.
In May 2017, detectives started an investigation into the deaths of 15 babies between June 2015 and June 2016. This was later widened to 17 deaths and 16 non-fatal collapses.
Letby’s home in the Blacon area of Chester was searched after a previous arrest. In a 2013 interview, the nurse, originally from Hereford, told the Chester and District Standard newspaper she cared for babies requiring various levels of support.
She had worked at the unit as a student nurse during three years of training before qualifying as a children’s nurse at the University of Chester in 2011. Letby said she started working at the unit after graduating.
Det Ch Insp Hughes said there was no set timescale for the ‘active and ongoing’ inquiry. ‘Parents of all the babies have been kept fully updated on this latest development and are continuing to be supported by specially trained officers,’ he added.