A British nurse at the center of an investigation into the deaths of multiple babies at an English hospital has appeared in court on eight counts of murder and ten counts of attempted murder, CNN reports.

Lucy Letby, 30, was charged after being re-arrested on Tuesday as part of an investigation into the deaths of a number of babies at Countess of Chester Hospital, which is located in Cheshire of northwestern England.

Letby had previously been arrested twice by police, in 2018 and 2019, in connection with the investigation, a local news agency reported. 

"The Crown Prosecution Service has authorized Cheshire Police to charge a healthcare professional with murder in connection with an ongoing investigation into a number of baby deaths at the Countess of Chester Hospital," police said in a statement Wednesday.

Dr. Susan Gilby, chief executive of the Countess of Chester Hospital, said in a statement Wednesday: "We acknowledge the new and significant development in this case, which is of serious concern to the Trust.

"We are fully supportive and respectful of the judicial processes and as such will not be making any further comments at this stage. Our thoughts continue to be with all the families involved."

She will appear at Chester Crown Court for another hearing on Friday.