Staff at the hospital where Lucy Letby murdered babies could face gross negligence manslaughter charges, police have revealed.
Detectives investigating the Countess of Chester Hospital for potential corporate manslaughter over baby deaths between 2012 and 2016 have widened their probe to include individuals who are now under investigation for possible gross negligence manslaughter.
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Cheshire police has not disclosed which staff members were being treated as suspects, their roles, or the number of individuals under investigation.
The maximum sentence for gross negligence manslaughter is life in prison.
Letby, 35, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted across two trials at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims, between June 2015 and June 2016.
In October 2023, police launched a separate investigation into corporate manslaughter of senior leadership at the hospital, but now say they are widening the scope of the investigation to include “grossly negligent action or inaction of individuals.”
“It is important to note that this does not impact on the convictions of Lucy Letby for multiple offences of murder and attempted murder,” Detective Superintendent Paul Hughes, Senior Investigating Officer at Cheshire Police said in a statement.
"Those identified as suspects 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.
"Both the corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter elements of the investigation are continuing and there are no set timescales for these.
"Our investigation into the deaths and non-fatal collapses of babies at the neo-natal units of both the Countess of Chester Hospital and the Liverpool Women's Hospital between the period of 2012 to 2016 is also ongoing.
"Our priority is to maintain the integrity of our ongoing investigations and to support the many families who are at the heart of these.
"There is a significant public interest in the reporting of these matters, however, every story that is published, statement made, or comment posted online that refers to the specific details of a live investigation can impede the course of justice and cause further distress to the families concerned."
Last month an international panel of neonatologists and paediatric specialists told reporters that bad medical care and natural causes were the reasons for the collapses and deaths.
Their evidence has been passed to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which investigates potential miscarriages of justice, and Letby's legal team hope her case will be referred back to the Court of Appeal.
A public inquiry into the events surrounding Letby's crimes will reconvene at Liverpool Town Hall on Monday March 17 for closing submissions, and the findings of chairwoman Lady Justice Thirlwall are expected this autumn.
A spokesperson at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: "Due to the Thirlwall Inquiry and the ongoing police investigations, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time."
