UK nurse gets life for killing patients

LONDON – A nurse was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday for the murder and poisonings of patients at a British hospital.

Victorino Chua will have to serve at least 35 years before his release can be considered. He was convicted of killing two patients at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport, near Manchester.

Judge Peter Openshaw said Chua had committed “a dreadful crime and he must now pay the price”.

Detectives described the 49-year-old nurse as a narcissistic psychopath.

Police found a confession note in which he wrote “there’s a devil in me”. The killings happened in 2011.

Chua was found to have injected insulin into saline bags and ampules. Other nurses who were not aware of the tampering then used them, leading to insulin overdoses.

Most of his victims recovered, but two died and a third suffered a brain injury. AP