16 Jul 2015

Listeria victim's widower wants case reopened

4:53 pm on 16 July 2015

The husband of a woman who died in a listeria outbreak at Hawke's Bay Hospital wants the police to reopen their investigation with a view to laying manslaughter charges.

Meat processor Bay Cuisine, and a staff member and director of the company, have been fined a total of $200,000 after admitting selling contaminated meat to the hospital and trying to cover it up.

Robin Hutchinson, whose 68-year-old wife Patricia died, said the guilty pleas indicated criminal charges should be laid.

He said the Hawke's Bay District Health Board also needed to admit it made mistakes.

"With my family, it would certainly help repair a few bridges if they made a public statement that they acted in error and failed the two patients who lost their lives."

Mr Hutchinson said nobody from the hospital had apologised to the family for what happened.

A police spokesperson said no further charges were pending.

She said the Crown Law Office had advised there was insufficient evidence to lay criminal charges over the listeria outbreak, which also contributed the death of another person.

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