Harold Shipman — GP Serial Killer

Harold Shipman was a British general practitioner who murdered 215 of his patients between 1975 and 1998, making him the most prolific serial killer in British history by confirmed victim count, and one of the most prolific in world history. His victims were predominantly elderly women who died in their homes or at his surgery, killed by lethal doses of diamorphine (medical heroin).

Shipman aroused suspicion in 1998 when a colleague noted an unusual number of deaths among his patients and the unusual frequency with which he had signed death certificates. An initial police investigation found no wrongdoing. It was the suspicion of a local funeral director and a GP colleague that led to further investigation. Shipman was arrested when he forged the will of his final victim, Kathleen Grundy.

He was convicted in January 2000 of 15 murders and sentenced to life in prison. The Shipman Inquiry (2000–2005), chaired by Dame Janet Smith, concluded he had killed at least 215 patients, with a possible upper limit of 250. Shipman was found dead in his cell in January 2004, having hanged himself the day before his 58th birthday.