In 2011, a series
of deaths occurred at the Stepping Hill
Hospital in Stockport, Greater Manchester. After suspicions were raised
concerning the similarities of the deaths, a murder inquiry was launched. Nurse
Victorino Chua was found to have poisoned several patients with insulin. He was
convicted of murder in 2015 and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Background and
investigation
The investigation was sparked by a nurse on a ward at the
hospital, who noticed that several patients on the ward had unexpectedly low
blood sugar levels. An investigation suggested that a number of saline ampoules
and saline drips had been contaminated with insulin, and this was believed to
have lowered the blood sugar levels in the patients.
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas to allow the
uptake of glucose in the blood to be used by the muscles and cells of the body
for energy. The brain requires a constant supply of glucose in order to be able
to function properly. As insulin lowers the level of glucose in the blood, if
too much of it is present in the circulation this can quickly lead to lowered
blood glucose levels, commonly known as low blood sugar (or hypoglycemia);
which as a consequence negatively affects the functioning of the brain and
central nervous system. This can be rapidly and irreversibly fatal if not
recognised and treated early enough. At Stepping Hill it was suspected that,
due to the increased levels of insulin in the patients' bloodstreams, they
quickly became hypoglycemic and three confirmed fatalities occurred. A number
of other patients are also believed by police to have been poisoned in this
way, though most did not suffer fatal consequences. Two further deaths in the
A1 and A3 wards were added to the investigation on 21 July.
Three patients' deaths – two elderly men, George Keep, 84
and Arnold Lancaster, 71, and a woman – Tracey Arden, 44 – were attributed to
the alleged contamination, although it was also reported that each of the
patients also had underlying medical conditions that made them weaker. On 21
July 2011, it was confirmed that two more patients' deaths were being linked to
the investigation, bringing the death count to five. Greater Manchester Police
(GMP) announced that the inquiry into how saline solutions had been
contaminated with insulin would form the basis of a murder inquiry. During the
investigation, 60 detectives were involved in determining how and when the
saline solutions were contaminated. Meanwhile, a number of armed police guards
were stationed at the hospital, and staff was made to work in pairs when
administering medication to patients.
Rebecca Leighton
On 20 July 2011, GMP confirmed that they had arrested a
27-year-old nurse – Rebecca Jane Leighton, who worked at the hospital on ward
A1 and A3 – in connection with the murder inquiry. The Nursing and Midwifery
Council opened a fitness to practice investigation after the arrest of
Leighton. On 22 July, Leighton appeared at Manchester City Magistrates' court.
She was charged with three counts of criminal damage with intent to endanger
life, three counts of criminal damage being reckless as to whether life was
being endangered, and one charge of theft. She was remanded in custody to next
appear at Manchester Crown Court on 1 August.
Charges against Leighton were dropped on 2 September 2011.
The Crown Prosecution Service said it was "no
longer appropriate" to continue the case against her. Evidence that
was expected to appear in support of the charges had not become available.
Nazir Afzal, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the North West, said Leighton had been
charged on the basis there was "reasonable
suspicion she had committed the offences and there were reasonable grounds for
believing the continuing investigation would provide further evidence within a
reasonable amount of time". She
subsequently hired celebrity publicist Max Clifford to help clear her name.
On 2 December 2011, it was reported that Leighton had been
dismissed from her job as a nurse at Stepping Hill Hospital. She had been
suspended ever since the allegations were first made nearly five months
earlier. An appeal hearing, presided over by Stockport NHS Foundation Trust,
against her termination was held on Thursday 2 February 2012 but the appeal was
dismissed. The Trust said it was unable to comment because of confidentiality
issues and there was no response from Leighton's lawyers. It was also revealed
on that day that police were now investigating a total of 19 deaths at the
hospital as possible victims of saline poisoning.
Victorino Chua
On 5 January 2012, it was revealed that a death had occurred
on 31 December 2011, after Leighton had been dismissed, and was now being
linked to the investigation. 46-year-old Victorino Chua, a nurse at the
hospital, had been arrested amid claims that forms had been altered and a patient
given extra medication. He was later also questioned on the earlier deaths. He
was not charged with any offence and was placed on police bail. By July 2012,
the Greater Manchester Police stated that they were making good progress in the
investigation, that twenty-two people had been poisoned and that seven deaths
had occurred.
On 29 March 2014, Victorino Chua was charged with the
murders of Tracey Arden, Arnold Lancaster and Alfred Derek Weaver, and 31 other
offences including GBH and attempted poisoning. He was remanded in custody to
appear at Manchester Magistrates' Court later. The prosecution argued that Chua
had decided to take out his personal frustrations on patients "for reasons truly known only to him".
On 18 May 2015, Chua was convicted on two counts of murder. He was found not
guilty of murdering Arnold Lancaster, who had been suffering from terminal
cancer, but was convicted of attempting to cause him and twenty other patients
grievous bodily harm with intent by poisoning. He was also found guilty of
eight offences of unlawfully administering or causing to be taken by another
person any poison or destructive or noxious thing with intent to injure,
aggrieve or annoy, or attempting to do so, after deliberately altering
prescriptions. The jury at Manchester Crown Court had deliberated for eleven
days. Mr Justice Openshaw sentenced Chua, a Filipino national, to life
imprisonment with a minimum term of 35 years, meaning he will be 84 years old
when he becomes eligible for parole.
No comments:
Post a Comment