LONDON: A British nurse arrested on suspicion of murdering eight babies as part of an investigation into a hospital neo-natal unit in northwest England has been released on bail, police said on Friday.
Lucy Letby, 28, was arrested on Tuesday as part of a probe into the deaths of 17 babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
A spokesman said the nurse, whose identity has not been confirmed by police, had been bailed pending further enquiries.
“We continue to recognize that this investigation has a huge impact on all of the families, staff, and patients at the hospital as well as members of the public.
“Parents of all the babies continue to be kept fully updated and are being supported throughout the process by specially trained officers,” the spokesman said.
The investigation includes the deaths and 14 non-fatal collapses of babies between March 2015 and July 2016.
At the time of the arrest, Detective Inspector Paul Hughes said it was a “significant step forward.” Police have been searching Letby’s home in Chester since her arrest.
Letby qualified as a children’s nurse at the University of Chester in 2011.
The investigation began last year following a review that found no “definitive explanation” for an unexpected increase in the number of baby deaths at the unit.
The hospital, which looks after about 400 babies every year, stopped providing care for babies born earlier than 32 weeks in July 2016.
UK nurse arrested for killing eight babies is bailed
UK nurse arrested for killing eight babies is bailed
- A British nurse arrested on suspicion of murdering eight babies as part of an investigation into a hospital neo-natal unit in northwest England has been released on bail.
- The investigation includes the deaths and 14 non-fatal collapses of babies between March 2015 and July 2016.
Junta leader Gen. Mamdi Doumbouya is declared winner of Guinea’s election, provisional results show
- Mamady Doumbouya took power in 2021 coup
CONAKRY, Guinea: Guinea coup leader Mamady Doumbouya has been elected president, according to provisional results announced on Tuesday, completing the return to civilian rule in the bauxite- and iron ore-rich West African nation.
The former special forces commander, thought to be in his early 40s, seized power in 2021, toppling then-President Alpha Conde, who had been in office since 2010. It was one in a series of nine coups that have reshaped politics in West and Central Africa since 2020.
The provisional results announced on Tuesday showed Doumbouya winning 86.72 percent of the December 28 vote, an absolute majority that allows him to avoid a runoff.
The Supreme Court has eight days to validate the results in the event of any challenge.
Doumbouya’s victory, which gives him a seven-year mandate, was widely expected. Conde and Cellou Dalein Diallo, Guinea’s longtime opposition leader, are in exile, which left Doumbouya to face a fragmented field of eight challengers.
Doumbouya reversed pledge not to run
The original post-coup charter in Guinea barred junta members from running in elections, but a constitution dropping those restrictions was passed in a September referendum.
Djenabou Toure, the country’s top election official who announced the results on Tuesday night, said turnout was 80,95 percent. However voter participation appeared tepid in the capital Conakry, and opposition politicians rejected a similarly high turnout figure for the September referendum.
Guinea holds the world’s largest bauxite reserves and the richest untapped iron ore deposit at Simandou, officially launched last month after years of delay.
Doumbouya has claimed credit for pushing the project forward and ensuring Guinea benefits from its output.
His government this year also revoked the license of Emirates Global Aluminium’s subsidiary Guinea Alumina Corporation following a refinery dispute, transferring the unit’s assets to a state-owned firm.
The turn toward resource nationalism — echoed in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger — has boosted his popularity, as has his relative youth in a country where the median age is about 19.
Political space restricted, UN says
Political debate has been muted under Doumbouya. Civil society groups accuse his government of banning protests, curbing press freedom and restricting opposition activity.
The campaign period was “severely restricted, marked by intimidation of opposition actors, apparently politically motivated enforced disappearances, and constraints on media freedom,” UN rights chief Volker Turk said last week.
On Monday, opposition candidate Faya Lansana Millimono told a press conference the election was marred by “systematic fraudulent practices” and that observers were prevented from monitoring the voting and counting processes.
The government did not respond to a request for comment.
