'Baby killer' nurse Lucy Letby's three former hospital bosses arrested. Here is why

'Baby killer' nurse Lucy Letby case: Three former senior bosses at the Countess of Chester Hospital, where 'baby killer' nurse Lucy Letby had worked, were arrested by Cheshire Police. Letby was arrested in 2023 for murdering seven babies and attempting to kill seven others who were under her care at the hospital. Her former bosses were arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter. The arrested individuals were part of the hospital’s leadership between 2015 and 2016. These were the years when Letby committed the crimes, some details of which she had recorded in her diary.

Baby killer nurse Letby investigations

After Letby was arrested in 2023, an investigation followed into possible negligence and corporate manslaughter at the hospital. In March 2024, this probe was expanded to include gross negligence manslaughter.

Corporate manslaughter is linked to the senior leadership of the hospital and its decision-making, while gross negligence manslaughter concerns the grossly negligent action or inaction of individuals, BBC cited Detective Superintendent Paul Hughes as saying.

The arrests of senior bosses will not affect Letby's 2023 convictions for murder and attempted murder.

What is the case against killer nurse Letby?

Lucy Letby was convicted of killing babies through a variety of methods like starvation, when she was on duty at the neonatal unit of the British hospital between June 2015 and June 2016. Having evaded the law for several years, she was eventually arrested in 2023 after several suspicions arose. Her diary entries becaming the most damning evidence against her. Letby is currently serving 15 whole-life sentences for her crimes.

Letby claims innocence even as other cases of baby deaths are probed

Letby has maintained her innocence. Her lawyer, Mark McDonald, submitted a case review petition to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC). The application, which the CCRC is currently reviewing, cites expert opinions that Letby had not harmed any babies.

Cheshire Police are separately probing other baby deaths and collapses in Chester and the Liverpool Women’s Hospital, where Letby trained. These incidents date back to 2012. Hughes said there are no set timescales for these investigations.