The hospital where Lucy Letby murdered babies is now being investigated for gross negligence manslaughter as well as corporate manslaughter, police have announced.
Cheshire Constabulary has released a statement saying that its corporate manslaughter investigation into the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has been “widened”.
“We will not be confirming the number of people involved or their identity”
Paul Hughes
The scope of the investigation now includes gross negligence manslaughter, which is where a death is caused by an otherwise lawful but grossly negligent “act or omission” by an individual or individuals.
The corporate manslaughter investigation, which is looking into the actions of senior leaders at the hospital trust in relation to deaths at the neonatal unit, was launched in October 2023.
This happened a few months after the conviction of 35-year-old Letby for the murder of seven babies and attempted murder of six others while working as a neonatal nurse at the trust in 2015 and 2016.
Letby was later found guilty of attempting to murder a seventh baby.
Detective superintendent Paul Hughes, who is the senior investigating officer for Letby probe Operation Hummingbird, announced the new gross negligence manslaughter investigation into Countess of Chester yesterday.
He said that those who had been identified as suspects as part of this widened investigation “have been notified”.
“We will not be confirming the number of people involved or their identity as no arrests or charges have yet been made,” Mr Hughes said.
“Both the corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter elements of the investigation are continuing and there are no set timescales for these.”
The detective superintendent added that a separate investigation into deaths and non-fatal collapses of babies in the neonatal units of both the Countess of Chester and Liverpool Women’s Hospitals, where Letby worked between 2012 and 2016, also remained live.
He said: “Our priority is to maintain the integrity of our ongoing investigations and to support the many families who are at the heart of these.”
Parallel to the criminal investigations, the Thirlwall Inquiry, which is looking into the circumstances surrounding Letby’s crimes, is nearing its conclusion.
The inquiry, which has heard from dozens of witnesses including current and former Countess of Chester staff, politicians and medical experts, is expected to hear closing statements from key participants next week.
A Thirlwall Inquiry spokesperson said it would “not be appropriate” to comment on a police investigation.
Similarly, a spokesperson for Countess of Chester said: “Due to the Thirlwall Inquiry and the ongoing police investigations, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”
Read more about the Letby case
