German nurse claims he killed 30 patients

A German hospital nurse has begun a life sentence for murdering two patients who were victims of a suspected wider killing spree that he says claimed 30 lives.

The 38-year-old man, identified only as Niels H, said he had played his deadly game on 90 patients, leading to 30 deaths.

He admitted to injecting his patients with lethal drug doses in a bid to try to revive them and shine as a saviour before his medical peers.

Last week he expressed regret for his actions, telling victims’ relatives that he hoped his conviction would help them come to terms with their loss.

The deaths took place at the Delmenhorst clinic in nothern Germany, where he worked in intensive care between 2003 and 2005.

“The accused is sentenced to life in prison,” said the presiding judge, finding the defendant guilty of two murders and two attempted murders, and noting the “severity” of the crimes.

Questions have been raised about possible failures by the hospitals involved, and by law enforcement officials who initially charged him with just one count of attempted homicide in 2005.

The defendant was eventually convicted of attempted murder in 2008 and sentenced to seven years in prison before further cases came to light.