A member of the senior leadership team at the hospital when Lucy Letby carried out her crimes has been re-arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter.
Cheshire Police said the arrest came after officers executed a search warrant at a property on 22 April.
The individual, who has not been identified but is believed to be one of three members of the senior leadership team who were arrested in June 2025, was detained on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.
Former nurse Letby is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill seven others – with two attempts on one of her victims – at the Countess of Chester Hospital, between June 2015 and June 2016.
Following the convictions, in October 2023 Cheshire Police launched an investigation into corporate manslaughter at the hospital, after it was alleged bosses breached their duty of care by ignoring signs Letby was harming babies on the neonatal ward.
Lucy Letby worked at The Countess of Chester Hospital in Chester. Credit: ITV News
In a statement about the latest updates in the investigation, the force said: “On Wednesday 22 April officers from Cheshire Constabulary executed a search warrant at a property in connection with Operation Duet.
“Operation Duet is the ongoing investigation into corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
“An individual was arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. They have subsequently been bailed pending further enquiries.
“The searches at the property have now concluded.
“Both the corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter elements of the investigation are continuing and there are no set timescales for these.”
Lucy Letby was arrested at her home in Chester on 3 July 2018 Credit: Cheshire Police
The scope of the investigation was widened to include gross negligence manslaughter investigation in March 2025, which is also still ongoing.
While corporate manslaughter is defined by the Crown Prosecution Service as “when a company’s gross negligence in managing or organising its activities leads to a person’s death”, gross negligence manslaughter applies to individuals within the organisation and their actions.
Police are continuing a review of deaths and non-fatal collapses of babies at the neonatal units of the Countess of Chester and Liverpool Women’s Hospital during Letby’s time as a nurse from 2012 to 2016.
Letby lost two bids last year to challenge her convictions at the Court of Appeal for the seven murders and seven attempted murders, and in October for the attempted murder of a baby girl, which she was convicted of by a different jury at a retrial.
Lady Justice Thirlwall is due to publish the findings from her public inquiry in 2026.
