Harold Frederick Shipman


Harold Frederick Shipman, born June 14, 1946 (some sources: January 14,
1946), a British doctor, may be the most deadly serial killer in history. A
report into his activities submitted in July 2002 confirmed he had killed
215 of his patients between 1975 and 1998. Dame Janet Smith, the judge who
submitted the report, admitted that many more suspicious deaths could not be
definitively ascribed to him. In total, 459 people died while under his care
and many of the cases are shrouded in uncertainty because Shipman was often
the only person to certify a death. Most of his victims were elderly women.

Shipman was convicted in January 2000 of killing 15 patients with lethal
injections of diamorphine (the medical version of heroin, legal for pain
control in the UK). He has been told he will never leave prison.

Shipman has never made any statements about his actions so his motives
remain a mystery.