Police Announce Fresh Investigation Into Gosport War Memorial Hospital Deaths
30 April 2019, 12:17 | Updated: 30 April 2019, 12:19
The care provided to patients who died at Gosport War Memorial Hospital, between 1987 and 2001 will be the focus of a full police investigation.
More than 450 people had their lives shortened at the Hampshire hospital, while another 200 were "probably" similarly given opioids between 1989 and 2000 without medical justification, according to the Gosport Independent Panel report.
Families of the victims have been fighting for more than 20 years in the hope an investigation may bring about criminal charges. Three previous police investigations have failed
In July the head of Kent and Essex Police's Serious Crime unit announced a review of the evidence from the report.
Assistant Chief Constable Nick Downing has been leading a team of specialist officers who have been assessing the report to establish if there is sufficient new evidence to support a further police investigation.
On Tuesday, Mr Downing said: "The families of those affected by the events at Gosport War Memorial Hospital are at the heart of everything we do, and I hope the news that we will now be carrying out a full investigation is of some comfort to them.
"This investigation is not about numbers, it is about people – specifically those who died at the hospital and the loved ones they have left behind."
