A new arrest has been made in connection with the probe into killer nurse Lucy Letby – an individual was arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice
Police have made a new arrest in connection with the probe into Lucy Letby (Image: Cheshire Constabulary/AFP via Getty Images)
An individual has been arrested in connection with the probe into killer nurse Lucy Letby.
Cheshire Constabulary said officers executed a search warrant at a property on Wednesday and arrested an individual on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. They were later bailed pending further inquiries.
Letby, 36, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders after being convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others between June 2015 and June 2016.
The babies were attacked by various means while Letby worked as a nurse on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
In a recent Netflix documentary about Letby, the mother of Baby D, whose daughter suddenly collapsed and died after being harmed by Letby, said: “She was so fragile, small and precious. I was just so angry and so sad and so confused.” She added: “It’s been storm after storm and it’s not over, but I want to make it through.”
In a statement issued on Thursday, police said: “On Wednesday 22nd April officers from Cheshire Constabulary executed a search warrant at a property in connection with Operation Duet.
“Operation Duet is the ongoing investigation into corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
“An individual was arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. They have subsequently been bailed pending further enquiries. The searches at the property have now concluded.
“Both the corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter elements of the investigation are continuing and there are no set timescales for these.”
It is understood that the individual arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice was a member of the leadership team at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
It comes after the force said it “strongly refutes” comments made by Sir David Davis in the House of Commons in late March, in which he called for a review into the force’s conduct and claimed there had been “multiple deviations from best professional practice”.
The former Brexit secretary called for the force to release a series of documents, including investigators’ policy books and decision books, records of identified lines of inquiry and minutes from meetings. Sir David had previously described the case as “one of the major injustices of modern times”.
In response, Cheshire Constabulary said: “Over the past two years, the force has come under constant criticism and has been intensely scrutinised and subject to unpleasant opinion from a core group of individuals who appear to pride themselves on spreading misinformation, making baseless claims and attempting to destroy reputations.” The force added that it is “essential that such scrutiny is grounded in fact”.
Letby’s case is currently being reviewed by the Criminal Cases Review Commission after judges rejected her two bids to appeal against her convictions in 2024.
