Harold Shipman | |
|---|---|
 Shipman c. 2000 | |
| Born | Harold Frederick Shipman 14 January 1946 Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England |
| Died | 13 January 2004 (aged 57) HM Prison Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England |
| Cause of death | Suicide by hanging |
| Other names | |
| Alma mater | University of Leeds |
| Occupation | General practitioner |
| Spouse |
Primrose Oxtoby (m. 1966) |
| Children | 4 |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment (whole life tariff) |
| Details | |
| Victims | 284 confirmed (15 convicted), possibly more [1] |
Span of crimes | 1975–1998 |
| Country | England |
Date apprehended | 7 September 1998 |
Harold Frederick Shipman (14 January 1946 – 13 January 2004), known to acquaintances as Fred Shipman, 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 284 victims over a period of roughly 30 years. On 31 January 2000, Shipman was convicted of murdering fifteen patients under his care. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order. Shipman hanged himself in his cell at HM Prison Wakefield, West Yorkshire, on 13 January 2004, on the day before his 58th birthday.
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 with either a fatal dose of drugs or prescribing an abnormal amount. As of 1 December 2023, Shipman, who has been nicknamed "Dr. Death" and the "Angel of Death", is the only British doctor to have been convicted of murdering patients, although other doctors have been acquitted of similar crimes or convicted of lesser charges; some nurses have also been convicted of murdering patients in their care.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
shipman inquirywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "Shipman known as 'angel of death'". BBC News. BBC. 9 July 2001. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
- ^ "Harold Shipman". The Times. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2018.