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A Dutch nurse who was jailed for life in 2003 for the murders of seven patients and the attempted murders of another three has been acquitted.

An appeals court in Arnhem ruled that there was no evidence that Lucy de Berk had committed a crime in all 10 cases.

The Supreme Court called for a review in 2008 after evidence came to light suggesting that all the deaths could in fact be explained by natural causes.

The prosecution service said a senior official had apologised to Ms De Berk.

"This judgment means that Lucy de Berk has spent six-and-a-half years in jail as an innocent person," it added. "It is important that Lucy de Berk is financially compensated as soon as possible."

The acquittal marks one of the biggest miscarriages of Dutch justice.

Bogus statistics

"I'll have to let it sink in a little while," Ms De Berk told reporters after the Arnhem Appeals Court cleared her of all charges on Wednesday.

During last month's retrial, prosecutors conceded that the evidence they had used to build their original case was flawed, and that they had not been flexible enough after they became convinced of her guilt when investigating the deaths. - BBC

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