Nurse ‘killed 300 patients’. Why did no one stop him?

OLDENBURG (GERMANY): The new nurse arrived at the ICU of Delmenhorst hospital with a letter of reference, describing him as someone who worked “independently and conscientiously”. In a crisis, it said, he reacted “with consideration” and was “technically correct”.
It gave no indication that officials at his former hospital in Oldenburg had grown suspicious about the number of deaths while the nurse, Niels Hogel, was on duty. Or that they had barred him from contact with patients and effectively pushed him out. Before long, similar suspicions arose at Delmenhorst. Within four months, a patient, Brigitte A, died under his care. Others, Hans S, Christoph K and Josef Z, followed.
Today, Hogel, 42, is considered the most prolific serial killer in the history of peacetime Germany, and perhaps in the world. Officials suspect that as many as 300 patients may have died by his hand over five years starting in 2000.
Still, it took more than a decade for a full investigation by the authorities, who exhumed more than 130 bodies in Germany, Poland and Turkey as they struggled to define the scope of his crimes. Hogel has admitted to killing 43 people, has not ruled out killing 52 others and denied killing five.
The number of killings and the amount of time it took for suspicions surrounding his actions to come to light have raised uncomfortable questions for Germany, including whether the same deference to hierarchy and predilection for procedure that once facilitated Nazi-era crimes allowed Hogel to kill uninterrupted for so long.
“If it is possible that in Germany more than 300 deaths over 15 years can be swept under the carpet, what else is possible?” said Christian Marbach, whose grandfather was a victim of Hogel.
According to Frank Lauxtermann, the only ex-colleague who testified openly about working alongside Hogel, “A culture of looking away and keeping your head down” ultimately shielded the suspect. Hogel is serving a life sentence for murdering two patients and playing a role in the killing of four others. The current trial is his third since 2006. This time, he faces charges of killing 100 more patients.
The presiding judge has ordered eight of Hogel’s former colleagues to be investigated on perjury because of suspicion that they lied to the court or withheld evidence in the current trial to cover up lapses. Revelations of apparent negligence by the hospital authorities have already led to other criminal investigations. Two doctors and two head nurses from the Delmenhorst hospital were charged with manslaughter. Hogel is expected to testify at their trial after the court reaches a verdict in his case, expected in June.