A nurse suspected of killing several patients at the Wilhelmina hospital in Assen, admitted killing at least 20 coronavirus patients because he was concerned about their suffering, the public prosecution department said on Thursday.

Theodoor V allegedly made the comment in different conversations with other care providers, one of whom alerted the hospital authorities which triggered the investigation, the department said in a statement.

According to broadcaster NOS, the man made the comments to staff while he was being treated in a regional mental health clinic in Drenthe, and it was the institution which contacted the authorities.

It considered V’s statements to be so serious that it merited breaking confidentiality rules, NOS said.

V was arrested three weeks ago at his home in Veenhuizen and on Thursday was remanded in custody for a further month.

The investigation into the reported deaths is still underway.  The probe involves checking the man’s hours of work, to see if that matches with patient deaths. ‘Experts are currently looking to see if discrepancies can be found in medical records which could match the suspect’s statements,’ a spokesman said.

The investigation is due to be completed at the end of June. As yet it is unclear if any actual patients have been identified. The investigation covers the period March 2020 to May 2022.