By Josh Halliday And Hannah Al-Othman
Detectives investigating the former nurse Lucy Letby have passed evidence to prosecutors alleging she murdered and harmed more babies.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed on Wednesday that it was considering further charges against Letby over alleged crimes at the Countess of Chester hospital and Liverpool Women鈥檚 hospital.
It is understood that evidence relating to more than six cases has been passed to prosecutors by Cheshire constabulary.
It follows the arrest this week of three former Countess of Chester hospital bosses on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
Letby, 35, is serving 15 whole-life prison terms after being convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others in the year to June 2016.
The former neonatal nurse is seeking to overturn her convictions at the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), having lost two legal challenges at the court of appeal.
Police have faced mounting questions about Letby鈥檚 convictions after an international panel of experts announced in February that they had found no evidence of criminality against her after reviewing medical records and other documents.
However, Cheshire Constabulary is continuing three criminal investigations into the nurse, hospital bosses and into alleged corporate manslaughter by the Countess of Chester hospital NHS foundation trust.
The three former hospital managers arrested on Monday on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter have not been named and have declined to comment. They have all been released on police bail.
The CPS said on Wednesday it had 鈥渞eceived a full file of evidence from Cheshire Constabulary asking us to consider further allegations in relation to deaths and non-fatal collapses of babies at the Countess of Chester hospital and Liverpool Women鈥檚 hospital.鈥
A spokesperson said it would 鈥渃arefully consider the evidence to determine whether any further criminal charges should be brought鈥, adding: 鈥淎s always, we will make that decision independently, based on the evidence and in line with our legal test.鈥
Any further charges against Letby are likely to be highly controversial given the concerns about her convictions.
A further prosecution against the former nurse would have to be approved by Stephen Parkinson, the director of public prosecutions.
As the criminal investigations continue, the CCRC is at the early stages of reviewing two large dossiers of expert medical evidence casting doubt on her convictions, which followed two trials at Manchester crown court.
Mark McDonald, Letby鈥檚 new barrister, has described the new material as 鈥渙verwhelming evidence鈥 that she should be released from prison, where she has been held since November 2020.
The senior Conservative MP Sir David Davis earlier this year said the nurse was the victim of 鈥渙ne of the major injustices of modern times鈥.
However, lawyers for the babies who died and were harmed in Letby鈥檚 care have dismissed the expert evidence as 鈥渙ld and full of analytical flaws鈥.
Peter Skelton KC, for the families of seven of the babies, told the Thirlwall inquiry in March that the doubts were based on 鈥渇ragile towers of speculation鈥.
Richard Baker KC, representing the families of 12 of the babies, said there was 鈥渘othing remarkable or new鈥 about the material passed to the CCRC, adding that the bereaved parents had become a 鈥渟ideshow within a ghoulish media circus鈥.