Harold Shipman — Doctor Death
Fast Facts:
- Born in 1946 and died 2004 in England
- A doctor, he killed over 200 of his patients by injecting them with lethal doses of painkillers because he enjoyed exercising control over life and death
- Discovered when the daughter of a victim was convinced he’d killed her mother and forged her will
- Charged with 15 counts of murder and 1 count of forgery
- Found guilty on all counts and given 15 life sentences and a 4 year sentence for forgery, which was commuted to a “whole life” sentence, effectively removing any possibility of parole
Shipman was the middle child of a working-class family. He was the favourite child of his domineering mother who developed in him a sense of superiority which affected his relationships. As a result, he didn’t have many friends.
When his mother was dying from cancer, Shipman oversaw her care, fascinated with the way morphine relieved her suffering. Devastated when she died he went to university to study medicine. Although still a loner he met his future wife when he was 19 and married when she was 17 (and 5 months pregnant).
He initially did well as a family doctor, before allegedly becoming addicted to painkillers. He eventually entered rehab after losing his job when his colleagues discovered he was forging prescriptions for his habit. He was fined and received a conviction for forgery.
He eventually found another position where he was trusted by colleagues and patients and had a reputation as hardworking. He held the position for almost 20 years. Healthcare professionals didn’t notice anything, but the local undertaker did notice that Shipman’s patients were dying at an unusually high rate and were mostly fully clothed and usually sitting up. He approached Shipman who reassured him there wasn’t a problem.
Later a medical colleague found the same similarity worrying and alerted the local coroner’s office who contacted police. A covert investigation didn’t check his previous record and failed to find anything as Shipman’s records were in order. These were later found to have been altered.
He was discovered when the daughter of one of his victims discovered an unknown will existed that left her mother’s fortune to Shipman. Convinced it was a forgery and that Shipman had murdered her mother, she contacted police. Her mother’s body was exhumed and it was found she died of a morphine overdose. This led to the realisation there were many other previous deaths that fitted the same process. He visited the patient who died within 3 hours of the visit and pretended to call emergency services. He urged families to cremate the bodies and altered his records, not realising they were time stamped by the computer.
He was charged with 15 counts of murder and 1 count of forgery and received 15 life sentences and 4 years for forgery which was commuted to a whole life sentence with no chance of parole. He served at Durham Prison, then Wakefield Prison.
In the 28 years between when he started working as a doctor to when he was arrested he killed between 215 and 260 of his patients (an audit examined number and pattern of deaths). It is impossible to determine exactly when he started killing or how many he killed as he denied all charges.
April 9, 2018 at 10:06 am
More than 200 people?! Yikes!
Dena
https://denapawling.blogspot.com/
April 9, 2018 at 9:33 pm
And they think it might be even more because it’s thought he may have been killing throughout his whole career. Apparently, though, there are still ex-patients in the town he worked in who to this day say he was the best doctor they’ve had. The mind boggles!
April 9, 2018 at 11:40 am
Oh my goodness! Over 200 people??
Usually, doctors who revel in their power over life and death lean the other way. Thank goodness he slipped up in such a major way, and the woman’s daughter was persistent.
April 9, 2018 at 9:42 pm
If he hadn’t forged her will he might have got away with it. I didn’t include it in the text above, but it was obvious to the victim’s daughter that it wasn’t her mother’s signature. Lucky for the aging population of the town he worked in!
April 9, 2018 at 8:04 pm
Has there been a movie made about this guy? Or am I only thinking so because his photo is the spitting of Mandy Patinkin?
200+ deaths leave one heck of a pattern. How disturbing that it wasn’t picked up long ago.
April 9, 2018 at 9:43 pm
Karen, there hasn’t been a movie that I am aware of, but there have been quite a few documentaries. And yes, there is a resemblance.
April 9, 2018 at 10:04 pm
Harold Shipman is one killer I have heard of. It makes you wonder – how many of his victims might still be alive had he not overdosed them.
The Heart Never Lies by McFly
April 9, 2018 at 10:21 pm
It’s sad to think, but I imagine quite a few.
April 9, 2018 at 10:28 pm
I have heard this name, but not familiar with the man. Scary! You go to the doctor and you have to trust him or her if you want to get better.
April 9, 2018 at 10:45 pm
Sue, I think that’s why it was easy for him to get away with it for so long. No-one can believe that a doctor (someone you trust and who has committed themselves to *saving* lives) could possibly kill.
April 10, 2018 at 2:00 am
How do these people sleep at night? I guess their goals in life are different from mine!
April 11, 2018 at 1:39 pm
I wonder if for some of them, being caught is a relief? Thank goodness most of us have different goals!
April 10, 2018 at 2:44 am
Can you imagine how traumatic it would be to find out your doctor is a serial killer — even if he’s done a good job of doctoring you?!
April 11, 2018 at 1:45 pm
You’d be so grateful he’d fixed your illness and not the other!
April 10, 2018 at 9:04 am
Another travesty. Yet fascinating. Creeps me out but I can’t look away.
April 11, 2018 at 1:46 pm
It’s a bit like that isn’t it. It’s like watching a horror movie and peeking between fingers. You don’t want to see but just can’t help yourself.
April 10, 2018 at 11:15 pm
Now I’m starting to wonder about me that I have heard of him also. This is frightening because he’s not the lone health care professional who has done this.
Great post.
April 11, 2018 at 1:58 pm
There have been a lot of documentaries about this particular killer, so it is very likely you’ve heard of him before, Julie.
April 11, 2018 at 12:17 am
What is so frustrating about the Shipman case is that there were so many pointers and yet more had to die before anyone finally did anything about it.
Tasha
Tasha’s Thinkings – Movie Monsters
April 11, 2018 at 1:59 pm
I agree, Tasha. I guess because of his trusted position people couldn’t imagine he’d go against his oath to save lives.
April 12, 2018 at 1:15 am
This case still shocks me even after so long.
Debbie
April 12, 2018 at 8:25 am
I don’t think the shock will ever go, Debbie, but that’s the difference between us and monsters like him.