'Killer Nurse' Victorino Chua to Appeal for Murder & Poisoning of Patients: I'm 'Completely Innocent'

Filipino nurse Victorino Chua, who was imprisoned for murdering two patients and poisoning 19 more, has launched an appeal on the grounds that he is an innocent man.

Victorino Chua, 49, was imprisoned for life and was told that he would serve 35 years in prison before becoming eligible for parole. Chua was convicted at Manchester Crown Court after four months of trial, the Mirror has learned.

It was confirmed by his solicitor, Jeremy Moore, that an appeal was launched against the convictions. Moore told Manchester Evening News that Chua maintained that he is an innocent man.

"He's obviously under incredible strain but feeling positive about the forthcoming appeal and still maintaining his innocence," Moore said.

As Chua was placed behind bars at the Strangeways prison in Manchester, he released a statement explaining that he is innocent of any of the crimes.

"After a four month trial the jury, after considering the evidence which was entirely circumstantial for a period of over three weeks, reached verdicts which, whilst I respect the jury's integrity and good faith, are not in accordance with the truth of the matter," Chua said.

"I am completely innocent of any wrong doing. I now face a minimum of 35 years in custody for crimes I did not commit," he added.

Nurse Chua received a sentence of 25 life terms and 35 years of non-parole for murdering Tracy Arden, 44, and Derek Weaver, 83, and poisoning 19 others.

He poisoned his victims with insulin that made them go into hypoglycemic shock, causing their blood sugar levels to decline dangerously even up to fatally low levels.

The Guardian reports that Chua tampered the evidence by injecting the inslulin to saline bags or ampoules. He used two kinds of insulin, synthetic and human-derived insulin,

According to Manchester Evening, insulin is untraceable within 20 minutes because it breaks down to half every five minutes. This means that looking for proof of poisoning could be difficult.

Authorities say that Chua chose his victims at random by using colleagues who have no knowledge about the tampering.

"Hidden in plain sight and using unsuspecting colleagues to carry out his sinister plan, Victorino Chua deliberately poisoned and murdered those who were under his care and those who were at their most vulnerable and most in need of help," said Detective Superintendent Simon Barraclough.

Detective Barraclough added that Chua has a clear intent to harm and kill the patients under his care. He considers this case to be the most complex investigation in his 15 years of service as a senior police detective.