POLICE confirmed last night that a further three people have been arrested as part of an inquiry into abuse at Winterbourne View private hospital.
Avon and Somerset Constabulary said the three men, aged 58, 40 and 28, were arrested in connection with allegations of abuse and mistreating of patients at the 28-bed facility in Hambrook.
All three have been released on police bail pending further inquiries.
The development takes the total number of people arrested in the investigation to nine. Another three men, aged 42, 30 and 25, and three women, aged 24, 22 and 21, have already been questioned by police and released on bail.
All nine have been arrested for assault under the Mental Capacity Act.
The arrests follow a BBC Panorama programme which aired last week showing shocking scenes of physical and mental abuse of adults with severe learning difficulties at the hospital. The mistreatment has been condemned by political leaders and a number of reviews are underway.
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