Relief As Guilty Verdict Ends “Distressing” Time For Victims Of Stepping Hill Poisoning

Victims of nurse Victorino Chua, who has been found guilty by a jury of murdering and poisoning patients at Stepping Hill Hospital, say today marks the end of an “incredibly distressing and frustrating” period in their lives and called for further reviews into how an incident on this scale was allowed to happen within the NHS.

Chua, 49, from Stockport was today found guilty on of two accounts of murder and 31 accounts of causing or attempting to cause grievous bodily harm at Stepping Hill Hospital between 2011 and 2012. He altered medication and contaminated drips of the patients.

Specialist medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell are representing Judi Jones, the daughter of Mary Cartwright who died following treatment at Stepping Hill during which time she received a contaminated saline drip, as well as Zubia Aslam, 27, who suffered hypoglycaemic episodes after receiving a saline drip contaminated with insulin and is still suffering from problems related to the incident now.

Both have on-going legal cases against Stockport NHS Foundation Trust which is responsible for the care at Stepping Hill hospital.

Zubia Aslam, who survived her saline drip being contaminated at Stepping Hill, said: “Today’s verdict provides some closure to me and the other families involved in this process. At least someone has been brought to justice and it gives a little peace of mind but it still feels as though there is a scar left after all of this, a scar which will fade with time but which will never go away.
“Life has not been the same and never will be. This has turned my life upside down, but also that of my family and I still have questions about how this was allowed to happen in the first place. What measures have been taken to date and will be taken going forward to ensure that this never happens again?”

Statement from the Jones Family (Judi Jones is the daughter of Mary Cartwright): “It has been a long journey, often distressing, sometimes frustrating and continually at the forefront of our daily lives for almost 4 years.  We are now, hopefully, able to move on and reach some degree of closure. We would as a family like to thank the extreme efforts of the Greater Manchester Police in their untiring task, the Crown Prosecution Service for their endless and fastidious commitment and lastly our legal team at Irwin Mitchell and Barristers who have overcome all difficulties posed to bring this very in-depth and complicated case to court. 

“We do however feel that Stepping Hill Hospital let us and all the other families affected down and did not carry out the duty of care which is expected by patients and their relatives.  The background checks where obviously inadequate in relation to this particular employee and the continued monitoring of the staff and daily procedures were not up to acceptable standards.   The consequences of these actions turned Mrs Mary Cartwright from an independent, capable, strong and completely lucid mother, grandmother and auntie into a brain damaged totally dependent, frail and unrecognisable old lady who was a mental and physical shell of her former self and ultimately led to her passing.

“We are very happy with the verdict and hope that lessons have been learned in order that other families and their loved ones do not have to suffer in the way we have.  We would like to request that we now be left alone to restore our lives and move on.”

If you or a loved one has suffered as a result of hospital negligence, we may be able to help you claim compensation. See our Medical Negligence Guide for more information.