Stat · No. 09
Counted by the Inquiry
- Identified by the Inquiry218
- Estimated total~250
Data table
| Measure | Value | Kind | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identified by the Inquiry | 218 | Count | |
| Estimated total | ~250 | Estimate |
Drawn from: The Shipman Inquiry (Dame Janet Smith), 2002–2005 · R v Shipman, Preston Crown Court, 2000
The case
About 250 patients, mostly elderly women, killed by their doctor in England. Harold Shipman gave lethal doses of diamorphine on home visits and signed the death certificates himself. Old age. Heart failure. In 1998 an undertaker and a neighboring doctor flagged his death rate. Police checked and cleared him. He killed three more. The last was Kathleen Grundy, 81. He forged her will, and her daughter, a solicitor, did not believe it.
The mechanism
How did a doctor kill about 250 patients without being noticed?
Harold Shipman gave lethal doses of diamorphine on home visits and signed the death certificates himself. The weapon was a prescription. The scene was the patient’s own home. The only witness filed the paperwork. Nobody was counting.
The weapon was a prescription. The scene was the patient’s own home. The only witness filed the paperwork. Nobody was counting.
The rule
The deadliest killers are the ones the system trusts to report the deaths.
The record
Sources
The Shipman Inquiry (Dame Janet Smith) — First Report 2002: 215 killings, 1975–98; Sixth Report 2005: about 250 deaths, 1971–98, 218 identified
R v Shipman, Preston Crown Court, Jan 2000 (15 murders + forgery)
Transcript54.9 s
- 0:00
Claim
A doctor’s signature made every death natural.
- 0:04
Case
About 250 patients, mostly elderly women, killed by their doctor in England. Harold Shipman gave lethal doses of diamorphine on home visits and signed the death certificates himself. Old age. Heart failure. In 1998 an undertaker and a neighboring doctor flagged his death rate. Police checked and cleared him. He killed three more. The last was Kathleen Grundy, 81. He forged her will, and her daughter, a solicitor, did not believe it.
- 0:35
Mechanism
The weapon was a prescription. The scene was the patient’s own home. The only witness filed the paperwork. Nobody was counting.
- 0:46
Rule and source
The deadliest killers are the ones the system trusts to report the deaths. Source: The Shipman Inquiry, 2002 to 2005.
Educational analysis. Adjudicated cases only. Victims named with respect.
Questions
How many patients did Harold Shipman kill?
- About 250, mostly elderly women, according to The Shipman Inquiry. The Inquiry identified 218. He was convicted of 15 murders in January 2000.
Who was Kathleen Grundy?
- Kathleen Grundy was 81 and the last of Harold Shipman’s victims, in June 1998. He forged her will. Her daughter, a solicitor, did not believe it.
How was Harold Shipman caught?
- By a forged will. He forged the will of his last victim, Kathleen Grundy, and her daughter, a solicitor, did not believe it. He was convicted at Preston Crown Court in January 2000.
Did anyone raise concerns about Harold Shipman earlier?
- In 1998 an undertaker and a neighboring doctor flagged his death rate. Police checked and cleared him. He killed three more patients.