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Three Former Countess of Chester Leaders Arrested in Gross Negligence Manslaughter Probe

They open a new phase of individual accountability with prosecutors weighing fresh evidence for additional charges

Overview

  • Cheshire Constabulary arrested and bailed three former senior leaders from the Countess of Chester Hospital on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter over neonatal unit fatalities.
  • The arrests fall under Operation Duet, launched as a corporate manslaughter probe in October 2023 and expanded in March 2025 to cover individual gross negligence offences.
  • The CPS has received a full evidence file from police and is reviewing potential further charges against Lucy Letby for additional baby deaths and non-fatal collapses.
  • Investigators continue to examine incidents at both the Countess of Chester and Liverpool Women’s Hospital neonatal units between 2012 and 2016.
  • Both the corporate and gross negligence manslaughter investigations remain active with no set timescales following Letby’s 2023 conviction for seven murders and seven attempted murders.