Harold Frederick "Fred" Shipman (January 14, 1946 – January 13, 2004) was an English general practitioner who was one of the most prolific known serial killers in modern history. is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the English city. ... January 13 is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Coat of Arms of South Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, that has a population of 2. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime, nominally for the entire remaining life of the prisoner, but in fact for a period which varies between jurisdictions: many countries have a maximum possible period of time (usually 50 years) a prisoner may be incarcerated, or require the... For other uses, see Suicide (disambiguation). ... The word physician should not be confused with physicist, which means a scientist in the area of physics. ... is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 13 is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... A general practitioner (GP), family physician or family practitioner (FP) is a physician/medical doctor who provides primary care. ... Serial killers are individuals who have a history of multiple slayings of victims who were usually unknown to them beforehand. ...

He was convicted on 15 sample charges in 2000 and sentenced to 15 consecutive life sentences. Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime, nominally for the entire remaining life of the prisoner, but in fact for a period which varies between jurisdictions: many countries have a maximum possible period of time (usually 50 years) a prisoner may be incarcerated, or require the...

After his trial, an inquest decided that there was enough evidence to suggest that Shipman had killed a total of 215 people, about 80% of them female. His youngest victim was Peter Lewis, a 41-year-old man^[1]. The official inquiry into his career concluded that he had probably killed 250 people, 218 of whom were positively identified.^[2] An inquest is a formal process of state investigation. ...

Much of Britain's legislation concerning health care and medicine was reviewed and heavily modified as a direct and indirect result of Shipman's crimes, especially after the findings of the Shipman Inquiry which began on September 1, 2000. A physician visiting the sick in a hospital. ... is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ...

Early life

He attended the High Pavement Grammar School, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. His mother, Vera, died in 1963 from lung cancer when he was 17. Shipman studied at the University of Leeds Medical School from 1964, and around this time met his future wife, Primrose, three years younger than him. They married on 5 November 1966, and she gave birth to their first child, Sarah, on St Valentines Day 1967; they went on to have four children in all. In 1970 he graduated from Leeds Medical School and started work at Pontefract General Infirmary in Pontefract, West Riding of Yorkshire. New College Nottingham - or more often ncn - is a coalition of further education establishments in the city of Nottingham. ... For other uses, see Nottingham (disambiguation). ... Nottinghamshire (abbreviated Notts) is an English county in the East Midlands, which borders South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Lung cancer is the malignant transformation and expansion of lung tissue, and is the most lethal of all cancers worldwide, responsible for 1. ... The University of Leeds is a major teaching and research university, one of the largest in the United Kingdom with over 32,000 full-time students. ... is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Valentines Day (disambiguation). ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Pontefract Castle in the early 17th Century Pontefract is a town in the county of West Yorkshire, England, near the A1 (or Great North Road), the M62 motorway, and Castleford. ... The West Riding as an administrative county prior to its abolition in 1974. ...

He started killing patients in custody during his work for the police and the Prison Service in 1970, although this was not discovered until after his death^{[citation needed]}.

In 1974 Shipman took his first position as a general practitioner (GP) in Todmorden, 12 miles west of Halifax, West Yorkshire. In 1975 he was caught forging prescriptions of pethidine for his own use. He was sent briefly to a drug rehabilitation clinic in York, after which he was pronounced clean. After a brief spell as medical officer for Hatfield College, Durham, County Durham he became a GP at the Donneybrook Medical Centre in Hyde, Greater Manchester, in 1977. A general practitioner (GP), family physician or family practitioner (FP) is a physician/medical doctor who provides primary care. ... , Todmorden is a town and civil parish,[1] within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. ... For other uses, see Halifax. ... Forgery is the process of making or adapting objects or documents (see false document), with the intention to deceive. ... Pethidine (INN) or meperidine (USAN) (also referred to as: isonipecaine; lidol; pethanol; piridosal; Algil®; Alodan®; Centralgin®; Demerol®; Dispadol®; Dolantin®; Dolargan® (in Poland);[1] Dolestine®; Dolosal®; Dolsin®; Mefedina®) is a fast-acting opioid analgesic drug. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... York shown within England Coordinates: , Sovereign state Constituent country Region Yorkshire and the Humber Ceremonial county North Yorkshire Admin HQ York City Centre Founded 71 City Status 71 Government  - Type Unitary Authority, City  - Governing body City of York Council  - Leadership: Leader & Executive  - Executive: Liberal Democrat  - MPs: Hugh Bayley (L) John... For Hatfield Technical College please see University of Hertfordshire Hatfield College is a college of the University of Durham in England (the third oldest English university). ... Durham (IPA: locally, in RP) is a small city and main settlement of the City of Durham district of County Durham in North East England. ... County Durham is a county in north-east England. ... , Hyde is a town within the Tameside borough of Greater Manchester, England. ...

Shipman continued working as a GP in Hyde throughout the 1980s and founded a clinic of his own in Market Street in 1993, becoming a respected member of the community.

Detection

In March 1998, Dr. Linda Reynolds of the Brooke Surgery in Hyde, opposite Shipman's clinic, went to John Pollard, the coroner for the South Manchester District, with concerns about the high death rate among Shipman's patients. In particular, she was concerned about the large number of cremation forms for elderly women that he had needed countersigned. She said he was "killing" his patients, although she was not sure whether it was negligent or intentional. For the thrash metal band, see Coroner (band). ... The crematorium at Haycombe Cemetery, Bath, England. ...

The matter was brought to the attention of the police, who were unable to find sufficient evidence to bring charges; the Shipman Inquiry later blamed the police for assigning inexperienced officers to the case. Between the time the investigation was abandoned on April 17 and Shipman's eventual arrest he killed a further three people.^[3][4] His last victim was Kathleen Grundy, a former Mayor of Hyde, who was found dead at her home on June 24, 1998. The last person to see her alive had been Shipman, who later signed her death certificate. is the 107th day of the year (108th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 175th day of the year (176th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Death Certificate is the second solo album from rapper Ice Cube, released by Priority Records on October 29, 1991. ...

Grundy's daughter, lawyer Angela Woodruff, became concerned when she was informed by solicitor Brian Burgess that a will had been made, apparently by her mother, which excluded her entirely and left £386,000 to Shipman. Woodruff went to the police, who began an investigation. Grundy's body was exhumed and examined, and found to contain traces of diamorphine (heroin). Shipman was arrested on September 7, 1998, and was found to own a typewriter of the type used to make the forged will. In the common law, a will or testament is a document by which a person (the testator) regulates the rights of others over his property or family after death. ... The symbol £ represents the pound currency which Britain uses. ... Exhumed is also a first-person shooter available for the PC, PlayStation and Sega Saturn; see Powerslave (game). ... Heroin or diamorphine (INN) (colloquially referred to as junk, babania, horse, golden brown, smack, black tar, big H, lady H, dope, skag, juice, diesel, etc. ... is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ...

The police then looked into other deaths that Shipman had certified and drew up a list of 15 specimen cases to investigate. A pattern emerged of him administering lethal overdoses of diamorphine, signing patients' death certificates, and then forging medical records to indicate they had been in poor health. A drug overdose occurs when a chemical substance (i. ... Death Certificate is the second solo album from rapper Ice Cube, released by Priority Records on October 29, 1991. ... A medical record folder being pulled from the records A medical record, health record, or medical chart is a systematic documentation of a patients medical history and care [1][2]. The term Medical record is used both for the physical folder for each individual patient and for the body...

Trial and imprisonment

Shipman's trial, presided over by Mr Justice Forbes, began on October 5, 1999. Shipman was prosecuted for the murders of Marie West, Irene Turner, Lizzie Adams, Jean Lilley, Ivy Lomas, Jermaine Ankrah, Muriel Grimshaw, Marie Quinn, Kathleen Wagstaff, Bianka Pomfret, Naomi Nuttall, Pamela Hillier, Maureen Ward, Winifred Mellor, Joan Melia and Kathleen Grundy, over a period from 1995 to 1998. For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... This article is about the year. ...

After jury deliberations of six days, Shipman was convicted on January 31, 2000 of killing 15 patients with lethal injections of diamorphine. The trial judge sentenced him to 15 consecutive life sentences and recommended that he should never be released. Two years later Home Secretary David Blunkett confirmed this recommendation, just months before British government ministers lost their power to set minimum terms for prisoners. is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... David Blunkett (born 6 June 1947) is a British Labour Party politician and has been Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside since 1987. ...

In February 2002 Shipman was formally struck off the GMC register. The General Medical Council (the GMC) is the regulator of the medical profession in the United Kingdom. ...

Shipman consistently denied his guilt, disputing the forensic evidence against him, and never made any statements about his actions. His defence tried, but failed, to have the count of murder of Mrs Grundy, where a clear motive was alleged, tried separately from the others, where no obvious motive was apparent. This article or section should be merged with Forensic science Forensic evidence consists of anything that can be used in a court of law to convict a person of a crime. ...

Although there were many other cases that could have been brought to court, it was concluded that it would be hard to have a fair trial, in view of the enormous publicity surrounding the original trial; in any case, a further trial would be unnecessary, given the existing sentences. The Shipman Inquiry concluded that Shipman was probably responsible for about 250 deaths.^[5]

Some commentators have postulated that his murder of older women was somehow related to the painful experience of his mother dying when he was young, while others said the motive was an arrogant desire to control life and death. The Shipman Inquiry suggested that he liked to experiment with drugs.^[6]

Suicide

Shipman was found hanged in his cell at Wakefield Prison at 6:20am on January 13, 2004, on the eve of his 58th birthday, and was pronounced dead at 8:10am. A Prison Service statement indicated that Shipman had hanged himself from the window bars of his cell using bed sheets.^[7] Some British tabloids expressed joy at his suicide and encouraged other serial killers to follow his example; The Sun in particular ran a celebratory front page headline, "Ship Ship hooray!"^[8] Hanging is the suspension of a person by a ligature, usually a cord wrapped around the neck, causing death. ... Wakefield Prison was originally built as a house of correction in 1594 and is now the largest maximum security prisons in Britain. ... January 13 is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Her Majestys Prison Service is the British Executive Agency reporting to the Home Office tasked with managing most of the prisons within England and Wales (Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own Prison Services). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about a British tabloid. ...

However, the victims' families said they felt cheated^[9] as his suicide meant that they would never have the satisfaction of Shipman's confession, and answers as to why he had committed his crimes. David Blunkett noted that celebration was tempting, saying: "You wake up and you receive a call telling you Shipman has topped himself and you think, is it too early to open a bottle? And then you discover that everybody's very upset that he's done it".^[10] David Blunkett (born 6 June 1947) is a British Labour Party politician and has been Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside since 1987. ...

Shipman's motive for suicide was never established, although he had reportedly told his probation officer that he was considering suicide so that his widow could receive a National Health Service (NHS) pension and lump sum, even though he had been stripped of his own pension.^[11] His wife received a full NHS pension, which she would not have been entitled to if he had died after the age of 60.^[12] FBI profiler John Douglas has asserted that serial killers are usually obsessed with manipulation and control, and killing themselves in police custody, or committing "suicide by cop", is their final act of control.^[13] This article does not cite any references or sources. ... “NHS” redirects here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a federal criminal investigative, intelligence agency, and the primary investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... Offender profiling, or more scientifically, psychological profiling, is a behavioral and investigative tool that helps investigators to profile an unknown subject (unsub) or offender(s). ... John Douglas (July 14, 1721 – May 18, 1807) was a Scottish scholar and Anglican bishop. ... Suicide-by-cop is a suicide method in which someone deliberately acts in a threatening way towards a law enforcement officer, with the main goal of provoking a lethal response (e. ...

It was asked why he had not been on suicide watch at HMP Wakefield even though he had been during earlier stays at HMP Manchester (Strangeways) and HMP Frankland after threatening to kill himself. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... HM Prison Manchester is a British prison. ... HM Prison Frankland is a prison located at Brasside, near Durham, County Durham, England. ...

Shortly after Shipman's death Sir David Ramsbotham wrote an article in The Guardian newspaper which urged whole life sentencing to be eliminated and replaced by indefinite sentences. He said indefinite sentences would be a better option than whole life sentences because, while a prisoner might still never be released, they would always have the hope that it might happen.^[14] General David John Ramsbotham GCB CBE (b. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ...

Aftermath

It is unclear when Shipman started killing people, or even how many he killed. A report into Shipman's activities submitted in July 2002 concluded that he had killed at least 215 of his patients between 1975 and 1998, during which time he had practiced in Todmorden, West Riding of Yorkshire (1974 – 1975) and Hyde, Cheshire (1977 – 1998). Dame Janet Smith, the judge who submitted the report, admitted that many more suspicious deaths could not be definitively ascribed to him. Most of his victims were elderly women in good health. Dame Janet Smith was the judge who prepared a report on the activities of British mass murderer, Harold Shipman. ...

In her sixth and final report, issued on January 27, 2005, Smith reported that she believed that Shipman had killed three patients, and she had serious suspicions about four further deaths, including that of a four-year-old girl, during the early stage of his medical career at Pontefract General Hospital, West Riding, Yorkshire. Smith concluded that the probable number of Shipman's victims between 1971 and 1998 was 250. In total, 459 people died while under his care. It is uncertain how many of these were Shipman's victims, as Shipman was often the only person to certify a death.^[15] is the 27th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... West Riding could be West Riding of Yorkshire West Riding of Lindsey in Lincolnshire This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Look up Yorkshire in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The Shipman Inquiry also made recommendations about changes to the structure of the General Medical Council.^[16] The General Medical Council (the GMC) is the regulator of the medical profession in the United Kingdom. ...

Six doctors who had signed cremation forms for Shipman's victims were charged with misconduct by the General Medical Council, which claimed that they should have noticed the pattern between Shipman's home visits and his patients' deaths. All of these doctors were found not guilty. Shipman's widow, Primrose Shipman, was called to give evidence about two of the deaths during the inquiry. She maintained her husband's innocence both before and after the prosecution.

In October 2005, a similar hearing was held against two doctors who worked at Tameside General Hospital in 1994, and had failed to detect that Shipman had deliberately administered a "grossly excessive" dose of morphine.^[17][18] Morphine (INN) (IPA: ) is a highly potent opiate analgesic drug and is the principal active agent in opium and the prototypical opiate. ...

A further inquiry was held in 2005 into Shipman's suicide. It found that it "could not have been predicted or prevented", but that procedures should nonetheless be re-examined. ^[12]

In 2005, it transpired that Shipman might have stolen jewellery from his victims. Over £10,000 worth of jewellery had been found in his garage in 1998, and in March 2005, with Primrose Shipman pressing for it to be returned to her, police wrote to the families of Shipman's victims asking them to identify the jewellery.^[19][20] Jewellery (spelled jewelry in American English) consists of ornamental devices worn by persons, typically made with gems and precious metals. ...

Unidentified items were handed to the Asset Recovery Agency in May.^[21]In August the investigation ended, 66 pieces were returned to Primrose Shipman and 33 pieces, which she confirmed were not hers, were auctioned. The proceeds of the auction went to Tameside Victim Support.^[22][23] The only piece actually returned to a murdered patient's family was a platinum-diamond ring, for which the family were able to provide a photograph as proof of ownership. General Name, Symbol, Number platinum, Pt, 78 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 10, 6, d Appearance grayish white Standard atomic weight 195. ... This article is about the gemstone. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

A memorial garden to Shipman's victims, called the Garden of Tranquillity, opened in Hyde park on July 30, 2005.^[24] The memorial at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii commemorates American dead from wars in the Pacific. ... is the 211th day of the year (212th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In popular culture

Harold and Fred (They Make Ladies Dead) was a 2001 strip cartoon in Viz (comic), also featuring murderer Fred West. Extracts from the strip were subsequently merchandised as a coffee mug. Cover of Viz (issue 57) Viz is a popular British adult comic magazine that has been running since 1979. ... Frederick Walter Stephen West (September 29, 1941 – January 1, 1995) was a British serial killer. ...

Shipman, a TV dramatisation of the case, was made in 2002 and starred James Bolam in title role.^[25] James Bolam (born June 16, 1938 in Sunderland, England) is a British actor, perhaps most associated with his portrayal of the lovable layabout Terry Collier in the hit BBC sitcoms The Likely Lads and Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?. Much like his fellow Likely Lad Rodney Bewes, Bolam was...

In an episode of the TV series Law & Order: Criminal Intent called "D.A.W.", police detectives Robert Goren and Alexandra Eames investigate a doctor they suspect of being a serial killer. Many aspects of the case resemble that of Shipman, including his early drug addiction and the number of people he is suspected of killing. At a party at the end of the episode, where the suspect is confronted with the evidence, one the guests, wearing a grey beard and glasses, looks very much like Shipman. The episode also includes a "red herring" character named "Hal Shipman".^[26] Law & Order: Criminal Intent is a United States crime drama television series that began in 2001. ... This article or section contains a plot summary that is overly long or excessively detailed compared to the rest of the article. ... Kathryn Erbe as Detective Alexandra Eames in Law & Order: Criminal Intent Eames interrogates Nicole Wallace. ... Drug addiction, or dependency is the compulsive use of drugs, to the point where the user has no effective choice but to continue use. ... Look up red herring in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Both The Fall and Jonathan King have released songs concerning Shipman. King's song became controversial when, six months after its release, it was reported to be in Shipman's defence, urging listeners not to "fall for a media demon".^{[citation needed]} The Fall are a British rock music group, formed in Manchester in 1976, and named after Albert Camuss novel. ... Jonathan King (born Kenneth George King, 6 December 1944, London, England) is a British singer, songwriter, TV personality, and pop music producer. ...

References

is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 27th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 13 is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year (99th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 237th day of the year (238th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 27th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 343rd day of the year (344th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 76th day of the year (77th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 105th day of the year (106th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 144th day of the year (145th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 243rd day of the year (244th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 243rd day of the year (244th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 211th day of the year (212th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Most prolific murderers by number of victims
• Dr John Bodkin Adams - Britain's second most prolific killer.
• Michael Swango

It has been suggested that List of serial killers by number of victims be merged into this article or section. ... John Bodkin Adams, (January 21, 1899–July 4, 1983) was a general practitioner in Eastbourne cleared of murdering one of his patients. ... Michael Joseph Swango (born October 21, 1954 in Tacoma, Washington) is a physician and surgeon, who fatally poisoned at least thirty (and possibly many more) of his patients and colleagues. ...

External links

• Shipman Inquiry
• BBC — The Shipman Murders
• List of suspected murders
• Caso abierto, Dr Death: The Shipman Case