Stepping Hill poisoner makes plea for help from prison cell

South Manchester's lead coroner is to open inquests into 10 further deaths of inpatients from the time killer nurse Victorino Chua was working at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport.

John Pollard will also consider resuming inquests into the deaths of three others - Alfred Weaver, Tracey Ardern and Arnold Lancaster - which had formed part of the criminal indictment against Chua.

The sister of one of Victorino Chua's victims says she is "delighted" the "evil" nurse has been jailed for a minimum of 35 years.

"We're delighted at the verdict.. we can all have closure, it's been a dreadful, dreadful experience," Derek Weaver's sister, Lynda Bleasdale, said outside Manchester Crown Court.

Asked how she felt about Chua, Ms Bleasdale said: "I think he's so evil, he obviously enjoyed seeing people suffer."

Ms Bleasdale also paid tribute to police and prosecutors who helped convict the 49-year-old.

Victorino Chua failed to show any remorse for murdering and poisoning patients at Stepping Hill Hospital, police say.

Chua, 49, was jailed for at least 35 years, meaning he will not be considered for parole until he is in his mid 80s.

Speaking after sentencing, Detective Superintendent Simon Barraclough said: "He's consistently failed to show any form of emotion during this process and any form of remorse for what he's done.

"And in fact even through the lengthy process of sentencing this morning, there was not a flicker of emotion on his face apart from what appeared to be a general contempt for all the proceedings on going."

Victorino Chua, the "Killer Angel" nurse who killed two of his patients and poisoned 19 others, has been sentenced to 35 years in prison.

The 49-year-old showed no reaction during the sentencing.

The Philippine-born nurse killed Tracey Arden, 44, and Derek Weaver, 83, at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport by injecting insulin into saline bags and ampoules. in June and and July 2011.

Other nurses then unwittingly used the contaminated bags on Chua's victims, who were mostly elderly patients.

Chua was described as a "narcissistic psychopath" by detectives after he was convicted following a three-month trial.

The brother of a woman who died after being poisoned by Victorino Chua says a minimum 35-year jail term will ensure the nurse "will never be able to harm anyone again".

Gary Arden's sister Tracey, 44, died after Chua injected insulin into saline bags and ampoules at Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport, in 2011.

Stepping Hill poisoner Victorino Chua has claimed he's innocent and labelled the evidence against him 'circumstantial'.

In a statement released by his solicitors today, Chua, who was jailed yesterday for 35 years for murdering two patients and poisoning many others, said: "I will never cease my efforts to prove my innocence."

He also made an appeal for witnesses to come forward and "help find the true perpetrator".

• Click here to read Chua's statement in full:
• Read more: 'Devil' nurse jailed for at least 35 years.