Nurse Held Over Stepping Hill Hospital Deaths

A nurse has been rearrested in connection with a number of deaths at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport in 2011.

Victorino Chua, 48, is being held on suspicion of three counts of murder, 18 counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and offences of poisoning under Section 24 of the Offences Against the Person Act.

He was arrested last year on suspicion of tampering with medical records at the hospital.

He was due to answer bail next week but reports say he was rearrested after new evidence came to light.

The deaths of Tracey Arden, 44, Arnold Lancaster, 71 and Alfred Derek Weaver, 83. are being treated as murder.

Five other people poisoned by contaminated products later died.

They were: William Dickson, 82, Linda McDonagh, 60, John Beeley, 73, Beryl Hope, 70, and Mary Cartwright, 89.

The police investigation began after hospital staff noticed "unexplained" low blood sugar levels in patients.

Police later found a number of saline drips had been deliberately contaminated.

Chua was first arrested in January 2012 and later released on bail.

The father-of-two from Stockport has been rebailed on several occasions.