On trial: Victorino Chua, 49, from Stockport, believes he has been made a complete scapegoat . A male nurse accused of murdering three patients by tampering with saline drips has been made a ‘scapegoat’ because someone had to ‘carry the can’ after a massive police hunt, a court heard yesterday. A jury has already heard how Victorino Chua, 49, also left another patient brain damaged by secretly injecting insulin into drips, turning them into ‘ticking timebombs’ to be used by unwitting colleagues. The prosecution alleges that Chua became the prime suspect after maliciously altering patients’ prescription charts six months later in January 2012 in a bid to trick colleagues at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport into giving them potentially fatal doses. Yesterday, however, Chua’s barrister claimed he had been ‘plucked’ out of a ‘huge number’ of people who could all have been the poisoner, and it had merely been his ‘misfortune’ to be working on the ward on the night the prescriptions were falsified. ‘The police put huge resources into investigating what happened at Stepping Hill Hospital with a vast number of officers,’ Peter Griffiths, QC, said. ‘Can they end up at the end of the day saying “I don’t know who did it?” Somebody at the end of the day has to carry the can. ‘The defence say, when you look at it, this man is a scapegoat. He is being blamed when it could have been anyone.’ Mr Griffiths told Manchester Crown Court there was no evidence linking Chua to the tampered records. He said Chua ‘had the misfortune to be one of a number of people on duty’ that night, and as a result, ‘whoops, the finger of suspicion goes back on him’. Victims: Tracey Arden, 44 and Arnold Lancaster, 71, died at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport in 2011. Chua is accused of their murders . Possible victim: Alfred Derek Weaver . After ‘a couple of years on bail’, he said, ‘they decide to charge him and he ends up here’. Should the jury conclude that the insulin contamination and the altered prescriptions were not the work of the same person, the prosecution case would be ‘like a ship that has been holed’, he added. Mr Griffiths said the defence would argue that whoever did contaminate medical products with insulin, did not necessarily want to harm patients. Instead the poisoner could have wanted to cause ‘hassle’ and create extra work for senior staff, he added. He said the defence would also argue that the insulin was not a significant factor in the deaths of the patients – but stressed that Chua denies being responsible. Filipino-born Chua, a married father of two, faces a total of 36 charges including the murders of Tracey Arden, 44, Arnold Lancaster, 71, and Derek Weaver, 83. He denies all the charges. The case continues. Scene of crime: Chua had been working at Stepping Hill since 2009 when the deaths occurred. The court was told it was 'a lottery' which patients were harmed by the contaminated bags . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
Victorino Chua, 49, denies 36 charges including murder and poisoning .
Total of 21 patients suffered and three died at Stepping Hill Hospital .
'Scapegoat' nurse targeted because police 'don't know who did it', jury told .
Court told he poisoned patients 'completely at random' by lacing their drips .
As victims became critically ill, Chua allegedly covered up trail to him .
In one case he said victim was stable when he was close to death, jury told .
On trial: Victorino Chua, 49, from Stockport, believes he has been made a complete scapegoat . A male nurse accused of murdering three patients by tampering with saline drips has been made a ‘scapegoat’ because someone had to ‘carry the can’ after a massive police hunt, a court heard yesterday. A jury has already heard how Victorino Chua, 49, also left another patient brain damaged by secretly injecting insulin into drips, turning them into ‘ticking timebombs’ to be used by unwitting colleagues. The prosecution alleges that Chua became the prime suspect after maliciously altering patients’ prescription charts six months later in January 2012 in a bid to trick colleagues at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport into giving them potentially fatal doses. Yesterday, however, Chua’s barrister claimed he had been ‘plucked’ out of a ‘huge number’ of people who could all have been the poisoner, and it had merely been his ‘misfortune’ to be working on the ward on the night the prescriptions were falsified. ‘The police put huge resources into investigating what happened at Stepping Hill Hospital with a vast number of officers,’ Peter Griffiths, QC, said. ‘Can they end up at the end of the day saying “I don’t know who did it?” Somebody at the end of the day has to carry the can. ‘The defence say, when you look at it, this man is a scapegoat. He is being blamed when it could have been anyone.’ Mr Griffiths told Manchester Crown Court there was no evidence linking Chua to the tampered records. He said Chua ‘had the misfortune to be one of a number of people on duty’ that night, and as a result, ‘whoops, the finger of suspicion goes back on him’. Victims: Tracey Arden, 44 and Arnold Lancaster, 71, died at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport in 2011. Chua is accused of their murders . Possible victim: Alfred Derek Weaver . After ‘a couple of years on bail’, he said, ‘they decide to charge him and he ends up here’. Should the jury conclude that the insulin contamination and the altered prescriptions were not the work of the same person, the prosecution case would be ‘like a ship that has been holed’, he added. Mr Griffiths said the defence would argue that whoever did contaminate medical products with insulin, did not necessarily want to harm patients. Instead the poisoner could have wanted to cause ‘hassle’ and create extra work for senior staff, he added. He said the defence would also argue that the insulin was not a significant factor in the deaths of the patients – but stressed that Chua denies being responsible. Filipino-born Chua, a married father of two, faces a total of 36 charges including the murders of Tracey Arden, 44, Arnold Lancaster, 71, and Derek Weaver, 83. He denies all the charges. The case continues. Scene of crime: Chua had been working at Stepping Hill since 2009 when the deaths occurred. The court was told it was 'a lottery' which patients were harmed by the contaminated bags . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
On trial: Victorino Chua, 49, from Stockport, A male nurse accused of murdering three patients to trick colleagues at Stepping Hill Hospital in end up at the end of the day saying “I don’t know who did it?” Somebody at the end of the day has Griffiths told Manchester Crown Court there was Arnold Lancaster, 71, died at Stepping Hill their murders . Possible victim: Alfred Derek said, ‘they decide to charge him and he ends up of two, faces a total of 36 charges including the