Staff and patients at security hospital may be charged

Staff and patients at a scandal-hit security hospital could face criminal charges, Merseyside police said yesterday. Detective Sergeant Bob Marsden said a report summing up the findings of an inquiry into criminal activity at Ashworth Hospital had been sent to the Crown Prosecution Service.

An investigation into the Merseyside hospital, which houses the Moors murderer Ian Brady, was ordered by the former secretary of state for health Stephen Dorrell. A police investigation was also launched.

The inquiries came after allegations of drug and alcohol misuse, financial irregularities, paedophile activity and circulation of pornography. DS Marsden interviewed Ashworth patient Stephen Daggett, whose original allegations sparked the inquiry. He said an eight-year-old girl was abused by paedophiles in the unit. She was also interviewed by the the police inquiry team.