LONDON (AP) — British police have arrested three senior leaders at the Countess of Chester Hospital in northwestern England, where nurse Lucy Letby was convicted of murdering infants, on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
Detective Superintendent Paul Hughes of the Cheshire Constabulary said Tuesday the arrests came as authorities widened their corporate manslaughter investigation into hospital leadership decisions surrounding the spike in baby deaths.
“This focuses on senior leadership and their decision-making to determine whether any criminality has taken place concerning the response to the increased levels of fatalities,” Hughes said.
Letby, 35, is serving multiple life sentences with no possibility of release after being convicted in 2023 of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven more between June 2015 and June 2016 while working as a neonatal nurse at the hospital.
Although Letby’s convictions remain in place, recent debate has emerged over her case, with some medical experts and legal advocates questioning aspects of the evidence used against her.
Police have not publicly named the three arrested individuals, who were released on bail pending further investigation.
Hughes confirmed that the latest arrests do not affect Letby’s convictions.
