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London: A British nurse was charged with murdering eight babies and attempted to kill another 10 at a hospital in northwest England.
Lucy Letby, aged 30, was charged following an investigation into deaths at the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital, south of Liverpool.
The police said the nurse faced eight charges of murder and 10 charges of attempted murder relating to the period between June 2015 and June 2016. The nurse is under suspicion in the death of a number of babies.
Letby was arrested on Tuesday for the third time in connection with the deaths. She was previously arrested in 2018 and 2019 and each time bailed pending further enquiries without being charged.
Police first launched an investigation into the deaths of a number of babies at the hospital in May 2017. Detectives initially looked into the deaths of 15 babies between 2015 and 2016, and the probe later widened to the deaths of 17 babies and 16 “non-fatal collapses” in the same period.
On Tuesday, Detective Chief Inspector Paul Hughes said a team of detectives has been working on the “highly complex and very sensitive case” and said he could not provide further details. “Parents of all the babies have been kept fully updated on this latest development,” he said in a statement.
Lawyers representing some of the families said they welcomed any update to the investigation but added that their clients have been waiting over three years for answers.
