A "healthcare professional" has been arrested on suspicion of murdering eight babies and attempting to kill six others at a hospital.

[Magicpaintbrush]

Just saw this on the bbc website: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-44696813

If the person in question is guilty of this, well, horrific doesn't even begin to cover it.

If she is found not guilty her life is ruined, whatever happened to that poor nurse at stepping hill, all over the papers then they had to justify themselves by digging up some non story about her taking painkillers. I hope they find whoever is responsible.

I can't help but wonder, if she wasn't white, blonde, young and pretty, would people be doubting the arrest so much?

Don't be so daft.

I don't doubt that there may be some basis for her arrest - what I find abhorrent is that she's been publicly named before being charged, and that her face and home are all over the news.

I'd think the same whether she were white, black, or green with purple spots.

It's not ridiculous. If it were an older black man or a plain, middle aged woman, people wouldn't be nearly so vociferous in their protestations.

How do you know? You dont....

She has been released on bail.

im finding reporting of this really odd, no toxicology was done and she has not been convicted!

could any jury not be prejudiced now>

Ajas I kind of agree with you. Just have to wait and see with this one, the reporting's really muddled

Well serial killers aren't generally released on bail. I suspect there is next to no evidence against her.

This is SO similar to what happened to Christopher Jefferies. I hope that if she's not arrested she does what he did and takes the papers to the cleaners!

I agree with you Hegotmanflu, it’s trial by media and the fact they’ve given her name, picture and shown her house in the media gives her no place to be safe.

I remember that poor nurse at Stepping Hill who had her name dragged through the mud, details of her private life dug up and her career ruined all the while the real perpetrator was still at large.

Even if this lady is not charged/cleared of wrongdoing then she’ll likely never work as a nurse again. No one will employ her and no parent will want her to care for their child.

Not surprised to hear she hasn't been charged yet. It kind of seems like a speculative arrest in the hopes of shaking something solid loose. Evidently they haven't found a smoking gun or she'd be charged.

We'll see.

I can't help but wonder, if she wasn't white, blonde, young and pretty, would people be doubting the arrest so much?

So because she's white, blonde, young and pretty, she must be guilty?

Perhaps people doubt the arrest because people are innocent until proven guilty, and Christopher Jefferies and Rebecca Leighton are fairly recent examples of innocent people who were convicted by the media. It's not like it never happens.

Not at all surprised to hear she has been released on bail. Of course the media won't admit they were wrong to print so much about her without any evidence. Or worst still they will print an apology buried so deep and so small nobody will notice. Such a pity the damage has been done and everyone will associate her with the awful headlines written about her for the rest of her life. No amount of compensation can make up for what she and her family have been though.

I'm astonished that the press are allowed to do this, surely even if this does go to trial, the media campaign against her means a jury will almost certainly be prejudiced and so any prosecuting case could just collapse? Completely reckless behaviour by the media

It is really strange - do you think the police will issue them a warning?

I really hope she is actually guilty.

I thought trial by media was in the past but apparently not.

I hope she is guilty because if she isn’t, her life has been utterly destroyed for nothing.

I am gobsmacked at this case.

They can't have any solid evidence or they would have charged her by now.

I can't understand how the press can do this kind of reporting and get away with it. Pictures, names, personal photos, enough information to find her address and that of her parents, captions like "baby killer"... and nobody has been charged let alone found guilty of anything.

The police have been investigating this case since May 2017. They have been meticulously building up a case before arresting her. The reason she was investigated in the first place was because staff at the Countess of Chester, as well as parents, had grounds to suspect that something was wrong.

I had both my DC there, just before and after that time period. She had been working there from 2011 though. All my friends have had their babies there over the last few years. We’re all shocked and quite emotional about it. I was at the hospital’s children’s unit on Monday just before the new broke and all seemed normal. It’s an snacking place. Myself and all my friends have had brilliant experiences there, wonderful staff, I’ve been back a few times with my youngest and always had the best care. I cannot imagine what the poor families are now going through. People who have already grieved, thinking it was natural causes, are now left wondering if it wasn’t. If it is this woman, she has caused utter devastation for those families, and a very difficult time for the hospital and the staff.

Amazing, not snacking!

Whether she is guilty or not, this information should not have been released to the public at this stage in the investigation.

I agree that the slant of the media stories about this have been disappointing and risk contempt.

But while everything may have seemed normal at the hospital children's unit, staff at the hospital have known this for a long time (as, of course, have the parents). They've just been keeping it quiet.

I'm a nurse. If I were at the centre of something like this I know I would never feel able to work again.

I honestly think I might consider suicide.

Just read on the news this nurse has been re-arrested

Yes, just seen. It beggars belief. Why??