Five more suspects identified in Gosport War Memorial Hospital investigation after hundreds of patients died
Five more suspects have been identified by police looking into the death of hundreds at Gosport War Memorial Hospital.
A total of 29 suspects have been identified as part of the ‘largest’ and ‘most complex’ independent investigations in the ‘history of UK policing’ - Operation Magenta.
The investigation was launched after a probe discovered that hundreds of patients died, between 1987 and 2001, after ‘inappropriately high doses’ of opioids were administered at the Gosport War Memorial Hospital.
Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, is managing the investigation (code-named Operation Magenta) and the team have been reviewing the records of more than 750 patients and taken 1,200 witness statements.
The police originally said that 24 suspects were being interviewed, but they have now confirmed this number has risen to 29. This includes 24 peole who have been interviewed regarding alleged gross negligence manslaughter and five for alleged offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
No arrests have been made to date, officers added.
The death of 91-year-old Gladys Richard sparked the initial investigation as she was the first patient believed to have died in the unfolding scandal. Gladys was admitted to the Gosport War Memorial Hospital to recover from a hip operation following a fall - but five days later she died due to the continuous administration of diamorphine.
An initial investigation was launched in 1998 following the death of Gladys but no one was found at fault. Family members of patients that died at the hospital have been on the search for answers for decades and, in 2018, the Gosport Independent Panel report was published.
Deputy Chief Constable Neil Jerome, of Operation Magenta, said: “The independent investigation into deaths at Gosport War Memorial Hospital, Hampshire, between 1987 and 2001 is one of the largest and most complex of its nature in the history of UK policing.
“The families of those who died at the hospital were informed at the start of the investigation that the full range of criminal offences would be considered.”
He added: “Whilst we have never provided anyone with an estimate of how long our inquiries will last, family members and the general public can be confident we are working as quickly and thoroughly as possible to ensure Operation Magenta is the decisive police investigation into the deaths at Gosport War Memorial Hospital.”