January 14, 1946 - Harold Shipman

What distinguished Shipman from most serial killers was not just the scale of his crimes but the institutional trust that made them possible — a general practitioner whose patients had no reason to suspect the person meant to care for them. The Shipman Inquiry, a two-year investigation, concluded he likely killed around 250 people over three decades, the majority elderly women, using lethal doses of drugs administered under the cover of routine medical visits. His case prompted significant reforms to death certification and prescription monitoring in the United Kingdom.

From Wikipedia

Harold Frederick Shipman (14 January 1946 – 13 January 2004) was an English doctor in general practice and serial killer. He is considered to be one of the most prolific serial killers in modern history, with an estimated 250 victims over roughly 30 years. On 31 January 2000, Shipman was convicted of murdering 15 patients under his care. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order. On 13 January 2004, one day before his 58th birthday, Shipman hanged himself in his cell at HM Prison Wakefield, West Yorkshire.

The Shipman Inquiry, a two-year-long investigation of all deaths certified by Shipman, chaired by Dame Janet Smith, examined Shipman's crimes. It revealed Shipman targeted vulnerable elderly people who trusted him as their doctor, killing them either with a fatal dose of drugs or by prescribing an abnormal amount.

As of 2025 Shipman, who has been nicknamed "Dr.

⚠ Report a problem with this article