A senior hospital boss has been arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice in connection with the investigation into killer nurse Lucy Letby, Cheshire Constabulary has confirmed.
Detectives executed a search warrant at a property on Wednesday, leading to the arrest of an individual who was later bailed pending further inquiries.
Letby, 35, from Hereford, is currently serving 15 whole-life orders after being convicted at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others between June 2015 and June 2016 while working as a nurse on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
In July last year, three members of the hospital's leadership team, who held senior positions between 2015 and 2016, were arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter. The Press Association understands the suspect arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice was one of those three individuals.
In a statement issued on Thursday, police said: “On Wednesday April 22, 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 inquiries. 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.”
The development marks a significant escalation in the ongoing probe into the circumstances surrounding Letby's crimes and the hospital's response. Authorities have not released further details about the suspect or the specific allegations related to perverting the course of justice.
