Nurse held over saline deaths at Stockport hospital

Victorino Chua, 46, was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of tampering with medical records at the hospital in Stockport, Cheshire.

Last night Greater Manchester Police said the nurse was now being questioned on suspicion of three counts of murder and 18 counts of causing grievous bodily harm.

Mr Chua is being questioned in connection with the deliberate contamination of saline products at the hospital last summer.

Mr Chua is one of 650 people to have been questioned by the police during the exhaustive investigation at the hospital since the saline drip was discovered. The case against 27-year-old nurse Rebecca Leighton was dropped in September.

Assistant Chief Constable Terry Sweeney, said: “Firstly and most importantly I must stress that we have not established the degree to which deliberate contamination of products may have contributed to the death of four patients.

“We have taken the decision to arrest this man on suspicion of murder in close consultation with the CPS and it is important that no one jumps to any conclusions because of these steps or second guesses where our investigations will take us.

“This specific inquiry, and the investigation as a whole, is a difficult and complex piece of work that requires very detailed forensic and medical analysis, which is ongoing.

“We know that the victims and their families want answers. We are acutely aware of this and are working very closely with them as well as hospital staff and the local community to minimise the upset caused and to keep them fully updated of any and all developments.”

The suspect is being questioned over the contamination of saline drips in June and July last year, causing patients’ blood sugar to fall in “hypoglycaemic episodes”.

Tracey Arden, Arnold Lancaster and Derek Weaver died shortly after experiencing such episodes.

All the deaths took place on wards A1, A2 or A3 – acute care wards caring for seriously ill patients.Officers investigating the deaths are also looking into a fourth death.

Police are looking into whether the alleged poisoning of William Dickson, 82, suffered at the hospital during the summer was a factor in his death. The former journalist, of Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire, died on New Year’s Eve.

Police said 21 patients were believed to have been deliberately poisoned. The cases of a further 21 patients who suffered hypoglycaemic episodes are not being treated as suspicious.

A Greater Manchester Police have been given more time to question Mr Chua in relation to the tampering of medical records, having originally obtained a warrant of further extension that was due to expire this morning.