(unsettling tones) - [Narrator] Dr. Harold Shipman was to his patients the perfect
GP, kind, caring, trustworthy, and always willing to
visit his many patients in the comfort of their homes. He was held in such high esteem that those that made it onto his
patient list likened it to winning the lottery. But the truth was that this kindly looking
doctor was relentlessly picking them off, deciding when it was their time to die, and at the height of his murderous reign, he was killing at least one patient every week by injecting them with a
fatal dose of morphine. Over a period of over 20 years, it's estimated he took the lives of at least 250 of his patients, not by mistake or as a mercy killing, but in a cold calculated act of murder. Here we look at the life
of Dr. Harold Shipman, one of the most prolific serial killers the UK has ever seen. (ominous music) Harold Frederick Shipman was born on the 14th of January,
1946, in Nottingham, England, and was the middle child of devout Methodists
Vera and Harold Shipman. He had an older sister Pauline
and a younger brother Clive. Shipman's father was a HGV driver, and despite the family's
fairly humble lifestyle, his mother believed her
family, and in particular, her children, were far superior to others in the neighborhood, a belief she instilled into all of them. But it was Harold, her favorite child, who was singled out from his siblings, and who from an early age
was dominated by his mother. She controlled every aspect of his life, even dictating what he wore
and the friends he had. This sense of superiority meant that Shipman was often isolated from his peers and had few friends, and the expectations his
mother had put on him put undue pressure on the young Harold. Despite this, during his first
years at school he excelled, although he did find it tough when he reached higher education, only attaining mediocre grades. One thing he was able to
sustain was his arrogance and air of superiority, and although he was a good
footballer and athlete, he still struggled to form
any meaningful friendships. Life for young Harold was about to change. His beloved mother was diagnosed
with terminal lung cancer, and Harold devoted all of his
spare time to caring for her, spending hours holding her
hand and talking to her as she lay stricken in bed. It was during this time that he became fascinated with morphine, after witnessing the
relief his mother felt after she was injected with the drug. All her pain was relieved, and the dose reignited her energy, briefly giving him back
the mother he adored. This had a profound impact on Harold, and is thought to have influenced his murderous actions later in his life. On the 21st of June, 1963, when Shipman was just 17
years old, his mother died. Outwardly he didn't
appear to grieve for her and carried on life as
if nothing had happened. But her passing is believed to have been the reason he became determined
to go to medical school and study to become a doctor. And at the age of 19, he
was awarded a scholarship to Leeds School of Medicine. During his time in Leeds, he met his future wife
Primrose May Oxtoby. At the age of 17, Primrose fell pregnant, and just over five months later on the 5th of November,
1966, she and Harold married. Shipman graduated from med school in 1970, and interned at Pontefract
General Infirmary for four years, until in 1974 he took a position as a GP at Abraham Ormerod Medical Center in Todmorden, West Yorkshire. By this time Primrose had given
birth to their second child. For the first time, Shipman's hard work and enthusiasm enabled him to fit in well, and he was respected
and liked by his peers. His up-to-date medical practices
were viewed as a godsend. But just a year later, Shipman
started to suffer blackouts. He lied to his colleagues,
saying that he had epilepsy. But in reality, he had
become addicted to pethidine, a synthetic form of morphine, and he was regularly prescribing the drug under a series of false
names for his own use. The truth finally emerged when the practice receptionist
noticed discrepancies on the drug ledger and alerted
the senior practitioners. A web of lies was uncovered, and when the partners confronted Shipman, he flew into an uncontrolled rage, behavior that was totally out of character for the normally composed doctor. It was later discovered he
had fraudulently obtained enough morphine to kill 360 people. It was during his time
working at Todmorden that Shipman killed
his first known victim. Her name was Eva Lyons. She died on the 17th of March, 1975, on the eve of her 71st birthday, around 30 minutes after
Shipman administered a lethal injection of diamorphine in the presence of her
devoted husband Dick, who at the time was blissfully unaware that he had just witnessed
his wife's murder. Similar to his own mother,
Eve had terminal cancer, and Shipman may have seen
it as a mercy killing. Whatever his reasons, it was the start of a murderous reign
that wouldn't be stopped for a further 23 years. Shipman was dismissed from the practice and fined 600 pounds, but the GMC took no further action against him. Instead, he was sent a
strongly worded letter and was free to carry
on practicing as a GP. This was a vital mistake,
because if action had been taken, any future employer would have been aware of his misdemeanors, and many
lives may have been saved. After his dismissal,
Shipman briefly attended a drug rehabilitation clinic in York, before a short stint
serving as a medical officer as well as some temporary work
for the National Coal Board. In 1977, Shipman secured
a position as a GP at the Donneybrook Medical
Centre in Hyde near Manchester. By this time, he had four children. Again he was well received
by his colleagues, and despite the senior
partners being aware of his misconduct in his previous post, they believed him when he said
he had addressed his problems and was now clean, and despite
his admission of drug misuse, he was still given unsupervised access to controlled substances. But as time went on, cracks began to show in Shipman's personality,
and despite the fact that his patients had complete trust in what they saw as a
kind and hard working GP, he had become known for being rude and sarcastic to his juniors and only turning on the charm with those he wanted to impress. Throughout the 1980s, Shipman
continued working as a GP and became a particular favorite
with his older patients, because of his willingness
to do home visits. Little did they know that by the time he left
Donneybrook Medical Centre in 1992, after falling out with his partners, he had killed at least 74
elderly patients, possibly more. In 1993, he set up on his own, at 21 Market Street,
Hyde, Greater Manchester in a new practice where he
employed his wife Primrose as a part-time receptionist. He attracted a large number of patients who followed him from Donneybrook. This was due to his expert bedside manner with the elderly, and the unwavering love and trust they had in him as their doctor. However, for his patients, Shipman setting up on his
own was a deadly move. He was now away from the
prying eyes of colleagues, and was free to do exactly what he wanted. It wasn't until early 1998 that local undertakers had become alarmed at the number of people who were dying under the care of Shipman. They also noticed that most
of the dead were elderly women who were found in their own homes either sitting in an armchair, or lying on their beds fully clothed and seemingly comfortable, unusual positions for most people to die. Around the same time, doctors at the neighboring Brook Surgery were also becoming concerned about the number of cremation forms they were being asked to sign by Shipman. As is required by British law, a doctor from an unrelated
practice was required to countersign the cremation forms issued by the deceased doctor. In light of these concerns, they did a bit of investigating themselves and discovered that in 1997 alone, 41 of Shipman's elderly
patients had died at home, and all of them had been cremated. This equated to a ten
times higher death rate with his patients compared to theirs. In fact, they became so suspicious, that they reported the
matter to the local coroner, who notified the police. But incredibly, the police
investigation failed to check even the most basic information. They didn't interview Shipman or the relatives of the deceased, and failed to contact the GMC, who would have revealed
Shipman's previous misconduct. Instead, they relied on medical notes of the 19 patients that had recently died, the very notes that Shipman had forged to make the deaths look genuine. This crucial mistake cost the lives of a further three patients. On June the 24th, 1998,
former mayoress of Hyde, Kathleen Grundy was
found dead at her home. Her family had been alerted when she failed to show
up at an age concern club that she regularly attended. Despite the fact that
Kathleen Grundy was 81, her death was a shock to
everyone who knew her, as she was fit and healthy and led an active life in the community. In fact, she was so energetic that many believed she had
many more years left to live. It was known that Shipman had visited her just hours earlier, and
he was the last person to see her alive. He claimed he had visited the pensioner to take blood for a study
he was doing on aging. This was a complete lie, and when Shipman told Kathleen's
daughter Angela Woodruff that a post-mortem was not necessary, she became a little suspicious. Unlike many of Shipman's victims, Kathleen was buried, not cremated, and it was shortly after the funeral that alarms bells started ringing for her family when it was revealed that her entire estate
amounting to 380,000 pounds had been left to Dr. Shipman. Angela, who was a solicitor,
asked to examine the will, and she immediately noticed
glaring discrepancies in the wording, and she believed her mother's signature had been forged. In fact, the whole
document seemed amateurish, and she immediately became
suspicious and called the police. Shipman was arrested on
September the 7th, 1998, and was held at
Ashton-under-Lyne police station, where he was questioned about
the death of Mrs. Grundy. Throughout the questioning, Shipman was dismissive and
rude, and even suggested that 81 year old Mrs.
Grundy was a drug user. But the full extent of Shipman's crimes was beginning to unfold,
and it wasn't long before Greater Manchester
Police were involved in the biggest mass murder investigation in the United Kingdom's history. During the course of the inquiry, a further 11 bodies were exhumed, and it quickly became apparent that there was a recurring
theme with all of his victims. Most of them lived alone and
had usually visited Shipman at his surgery shortly before they died. They would then receive an
unexpected visit from him in their own homes,
usually in the afternoon. But despite the surprise visit, they all trusted him enough to invite him in for a cup of tea. After administering a lethal
injection of morphine, usually under the pretense
of taking a blood sample, he would then make them look comfortable, either sat in an armchair
or placed on their bed. They were always fully clothed, and there was no suggestion that Shipman ever molested
any of his victims. Shortly after killing them, he would alter their medical notes to ensure that his account
matched the historical records. Another pattern to his murders
was that he would often return to his victims home, knowing he would discover them dead and alert the authorities. And on many occasions, he would send their relatives pre-printed and unsigned sympathy cards. He also liked to return
to the same streets in search of new victims,
sometimes even the same house. It's thought that Shipman killed twice at No 2 Leigh Fold, Hyde. First Alice Gorton, 76, who died there on August the 10th, 1979,
and then nine years later, on February the 15th, 1988,
Jane Jones, who was 83, and was found dead in the same house. In most cases, his murders
were not an act of mercy as many initially thought, as the majority of his victims were not even ill. Finally, the police charged Shipman with 15 individual counts of murder, as well as one count of forgery. Shipman's trial began on
October the 5th, 1999, at Preston Crown Court. (faint music) The prosecution stated
that Shipman had killed because he enjoyed exercising
control over life and death, and rejected any claims that he had been acting out of compassion. Angela Woodruff was a key witness, and her account of the
events leading up to and after her mother's death was crucial, and her statement was corroborated
by fingerprint analysis that confirmed her mother's altered will was a crude forgery
typed up on a typewriter found in Shipman home, and that her mother had
never handled the document. Computer analysts confirmed that patients' medical
records had been altered within hours of their deaths. As the trial progressed,
it also came to light the lack of compassion Shipman showed to the relatives of the deceased. He was always reluctant to
attempt revivals of his patients, and often he would pretend
to call emergency services in the presence of relatives, knowing their loved
ones were already dead, although records showed no
actual calls were ever made. Then there was the overwhelming
evidence of drug hoarding. Shipman was consistently
false prescribing morphine to his patients and
over-prescribing to others, collecting the drugs himself
to use as his poison. Throughout the proceedings, Shipman remained arrogant and haughty. He constantly changed his story, and was far from the caring doctor his devoted patients portrayed. After hearing all the evidence, the jury was sufficiently
convinced of Shipman's guilt, and unanimously found him
guilty on all charges: 15 counts of murder and one of forgery. The judge passed fifteen life sentences, as well as a four-year
sentence for forgery, which he commuted to a whole life term, removing any possibility that
Shipman would be released. Neither shipman or his wife
Primrose showed any emotion when the verdict and
sentencing were read out. Shipman became the only British doctor in the country's legal history to be convicted of murdering his patients, although he was only found
guilty of killing 15. This was because in light of the publicity surrounding his first trial, any subsequent trials would not be fair, and given his whole life sentence, would make no difference
to his punishment, these additional deaths would
be dealt with separately. (faint music) In the aftermath of the trial, various inquiries and
audits were carried out on Shipman's patients, and
the overwhelming verdict was that it was likely he killed
at least 236 of his patients. The majority of these were
killed between 1975 and 1998. However there was a likelihood that he started murdering his
patients as far back as 1971, shortly after he obtained
his medical license, but due to insufficient
evidence and records, this has never been officially proven. Most of his victims were
elderly women who lived alone, but he also killed men, and his youngest confirmed victim was, in fact, a 41 year old man. He was also suspected of killing four year old Susie Garfitt in 1972, who although was gravely ill, died unexpectedly while
under Shipman's care at Pontefract General Infirmary. It was concluded that all of
his victims died peacefully in the comfort of their own homes, except for one who he
killed at his surgery. After death, he always
rejected a post-mortem and urged the families to
cremate their loved ones, although on some occasions
this didn't happen. Although it's not thought
money was ever a motive, over 10,000 pounds worth
of jewelry was found in the garage of the family home, jewelry that Primrose was
very reluctant to hand back. Unlike other serial killers, Shipman didn't appear to have
a motive for his mass killing. Although it's been suggested
that he disliked older woman, and thought the elderly in general were a drain on the health service. Others think he was recreating the death of his beloved mother. Whatever the reason, Shipman
would never reveal it, and he and his family, in particular, his devoted wife Primrose always believed he was not guilty, despite the overwhelming
evidence proving he was. Throughout his incarceration, Shipman protested his innocence and never apologized or showed any signs of remorse for his actions. His wife visited him as
often as she was allowed, and the pair exchanged
numerous love letters. Witnesses who observed their visits said the couple chatted and held hands like a couple of love-struck teenagers. Such was Primrose's
devotion to her husband that many questioned whether
she knew about his killing. It turns out there is
absolutely no evidence to suggest she was aware of anything. In fact, she was so
blinded by her love for him that it's thought she had plunged into a psychological denial and was unable to accept his guilt. In June, 2003, Shipman was moved from Durham Prison to Wakefield Prison, one of England's most notorious jails. Nicknamed Monster Mansion, it houses some of Britain's vilest criminals. Harold Shipman thought he was
far too good for that place. On January the 13th, 2004, on
the eve of his 58th birthday, Shipman hanged himself in his
cell, using his bed sheets. The British tabloids were jubilant about the death of the man
they had dubbed Doctor Death. But for his victims' families, this felt like an easy way out for him, a cowardice act that deprived
them of an explanation as to why he murdered their loved ones. And in a final calculating twist, it was revealed Shipman timed his suicide so that his wife would receive the maximum 100,000 pound pension payout. If he had waited until
after his 60th birthday, this would have been drastically reduced. So it seems that right until the end, Shipman had control, and as he had with over 250 others, he
chose when it was time to die. Although this documentary
was not the most gruesome, in many ways it was the most chilling. It revealed a silent
killer, an unlikely killer, a man who was trusted and
loved by those who knew him, and who happily invited
him into their homes blissfully unaware that he
intended to murder them, even willingly offering their arm out for their assassin to
administer his fatal injection. After all, who can you trust if you can't even trust your doctor? (faint music)
