Offender Record · OFF-2026-168
Harold Dr. Shipman (photo from the Radford University biography)
Harold Frederick Shipman
Also known as Fred Shipman, Dr. Death, Angel of Death
Sex
Male
Race
White
Born
1946
Custody
Deceased
States
GB
Custody
Died by suicide on 13 January 2004 while incarcerated at HM Prison Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England.
This record documents arrests, charges and convictions reported by courts, law enforcement agencies and news organizations. Every statement is tied to a cited source with an archived copy. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt; a person charged is presumed innocent unless convicted. Where a record says named by police, no charge was ever filed: the record rests on a law enforcement agency's public identification of the deceased person, cited below. Not guilty by reason of insanity means the court found the act proven but the person not criminally responsible. Solve the Case does not allege that this person committed any offense beyond what the cited records state, and this record is not a suggestion that the person is connected to any unsolved case. How records are built, corrected and removed.
Summary of the record
Harold Frederick Shipman was an English general practitioner convicted on 31 January 2000 of murdering 15 of his elderly female patients and forging the will of one victim, Kathleen Grundy. Between 1975 and 1998, Shipman is suspected of murdering approximately 250 patients by administering lethal doses of diamorphine (medical heroin) while working in practices in Todmorden and Hyde, Greater Manchester. A subsequent public inquiry concluded he killed at least 218 patients. He was sentenced to 15 consecutive life sentences and died by suicide in HM Prison Wakefield on 13 January 2004.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Murder of 15 patients (specimen cases)
Greater Manchester Police · Preston Crown Court, Lancashire · English law, murder · Arrested Sep 07, 1998 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 15 consecutive life sentences with a whole life order (never to be released)
Shipman administered lethal doses of diamorphine (medical heroin/morphine) to elderly patients in their homes, most often elderly women, and falsified medical records to indicate they were in poor health or were morphine addicts. The 15 specimen cases brought to trial were Marie West (81), Irene Turner (67), Lizzie Adams (77), Jean Lilley (59), Ivy Lomas (63), Muriel Grimshaw (76), Marie Quinn (67), Kathleen Wagstaff (81), Bianka Pomfret (49), Norah Nuttall (65), Pamela Hillier (older), Maureen Ward (57), Winifred Mellor (73), Joan Melia (73), and Kathleen Grundy (81). Victims ranged in age from 49 to 93; most were widows or otherwise vulnerable elderly patients who trusted him as their physician.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Shipman, Harold Dr.; Harold Shipman - Wikipedia; Who was Harold Shipman? - Britannica; Murder most medical, disposal most discreet - The Lancet; Murder of Kathleen Grundy and Other Patients by Harold Shipman - CasePin; GP faces 15 charges of murder - PMC; Harold Shipman - Hansard Parliamentary Debate; Second Report The Police Investigation of March 1998 - THE SHIPMAN INQUIRY
Pattern and Background
Victim counts and the pattern of the offenses as stated by courts, agencies and the cited reporting. Suspected counts are what officials have said publicly, not a finding of this site.
15
Victims convicted
0
Victims confessed
218
Victims suspected
Active years
1975–1998
Victim profile
Elderly, Patients in care, Acquaintances
Stated motive
Power or control
Range from home
local
Education
graduate
Marital history
Married
Children
4
Died
2004-01-13 · suicide
Agencies
Law enforcement, prosecutors and corrections agencies the records show dealing with this person. An investigator working a case with a possible connection can start here.
Crown Prosecution Service · GB
Prosecuted 15 counts of murder and one count of forgery at Preston Crown Court; conviction 31 January 2000
Her Majesty's Prison Service · GB
Held Shipman in HM Prison Wakefield where he died 13 January 2004 by suicide
Source: British Medical Journal
Greater Manchester Police · GB
Arrested Shipman 7 September 1998; conducted initial investigation March-April 1998 that closed without charges, and subsequent investigation leading to charges of 15 murders and forgery
The Shipman Inquiry · GB
Independent public inquiry chaired by Dame Janet Smith investigating suspected additional killings; determined Shipman killed at least 215 patients; final report 27 January 2005
Source: UK Department of Health
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
GB
Nottingham, England, United Kingdom
approx. 1952 – 1963 · Primary and secondary education
South Bedburn, England, United Kingdom
approx. until Oct 1977 · Clinical Medical Officer; responsibilities limited to examining infants and giving developmental advice
Pontefract, England, United Kingdom
1970 – 1974 · Junior doctor and resident at Pontefract General Infirmary; also worked in anaesthetics and general duties rotations
Todmorden, England, United Kingdom
Mar 1974 – Nov 1975 · General Practitioner at Abraham Ormerod Medical Centre; worked as GP under supervision
York, England, United Kingdom
Nov 1975 – Feb 1976 · The Retreat, psychiatric drug rehabilitation center
Hyde, England, United Kingdom
approx. 1977 – Sep 07, 1998 · Resided in Hyde while employed there
Hyde, England, United Kingdom
Oct 01, 1977 – May 1992 · General Practitioner at Donneybrook Medical Centre (also called Donneybrook House Group Practice); worked as partner for approximately 15 years
Hyde, England, United Kingdom
1993 – Sep 07, 1998 · Single-handed general practice at 21 Market Street, The Surgery; solo practitioner where he committed most murders
Hyde, England, United Kingdom
Sep 07, 1998 · Arrested at home by Greater Manchester Police
Manchester, England, United Kingdom
approx. Jan 31, 2000 – Feb 2000 · HMP Manchester; held after conviction
Durham, England, United Kingdom
approx. Feb 2000 – Feb 2000 · HMP Frankland
West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom
approx. Feb 2000 – Jan 13, 2004 · HM Prison Wakefield; where he died
Timeline
Jan 14, 1946
Harold Frederick Shipman born in Nottingham, England.
Jun 24, 1963
His mother Vera died of lung cancer at age unknown; Shipman was 17 years old.
1965
Accepted to Leeds University Medical School, England.
Jan 14, 1966
Married Primrose May Oxtoby at age 19; she was 17 years old and 5 months pregnant.
1970
Graduated from Leeds University Medical School with MBChB degree; began work as junior doctor at Pontefract General Infirmary.
Mar 1974
Joined Abraham Ormerod Medical Centre in Todmorden as a general practitioner.
Nov 1975
Arrested for forging prescriptions for pethidine while at The Retreat, psychiatric center in York; pleaded guilty to eight charges.
Feb 1976
Convicted of forging prescriptions and obtaining controlled drugs by deception; fined £600 and ordered to undergo drug rehabilitation.
Oct 01, 1977
Resumed medical practice at Donneybrook Medical Centre in Hyde, Greater Manchester as general practitioner.
1993
Established his own single-handed general practice at 21 Market Street in Hyde, Greater Manchester.
Mar 1998
Dr. Linda Reynolds, a GP at Brooke Surgery in Hyde, reported concerns to South Manchester District coroner about high death rate among Shipman's patients, particularly elderly women.
Apr 17, 1998
Greater Manchester Police investigation closed without bringing charges against Shipman.
Jun 24, 1998
Kathleen Grundy, age 81 and former mayoress of Hyde, died; Shipman administered lethal dose of diamorphine and forged her will.
Sep 07, 1998
Arrested by Greater Manchester Police for murder of Kathleen Grundy and forging her will.
Oct 05, 1999
Trial began at Preston Crown Court for 15 specimen murder cases and one count of forgery.
Jan 31, 2000
Convicted of 15 counts of murder and one count of forgery; sentenced to 15 consecutive life sentences with whole life order.
Feb 11, 2000
General Medical Council struck Shipman off the medical register.
Jul 2002
The Shipman Inquiry report (chaired by Dame Janet Smith) concluded he killed at least 218 patients between 1975 and 1998.
Jan 13, 2004
Shipman hanged himself in his cell at HM Prison Wakefield with bed sheets; pronounced dead at 08:10 am, one day before his 58th birthday.
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
News report · CasePin ·
Murder of Kathleen Grundy and Other Patients by Harold Shipman - CasePin“On 31 January 2000, following six days of jury deliberation, Shipman was convicted of 15 counts of murder and one count of forgery. He qualified in medicine from the University of Leeds in 1970 and worked as a GP first in Todmorden (1974–1975) and later in Hyde, Greater Manchester, from 1977.”
News report · Wikimedia Foundation ·
Harold Shipman - Wikipedia“On 31 January 2000, Shipman was convicted of murdering 15 patients under his care. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order. On 13 January 2004, one day before his 58th birthday, Shipman committed suicide by hanging in his cell at HM Prison Wakefield.”
News report · Britannica ·
Who was Harold Shipman? - Britannica“In 2000 Shipman was convicted on 15 counts of murder and sentenced to life in prison; four years later he died by suicide. A government inquiry was ordered to determine how many more patients Shipman may have murdered; in 2005 an official report found that he had killed an estimated 250 people beginning in 1971.”
News report · A&E Networks ·
How Was Harold Shipman Able to Get Away with Killing So Many of His Patients? - A&E“An official inquiry found that Shipman killed at least 215 of his patients while working as a general practitioner between 1975 and '98, and suspected his involvement in 45 more deaths. The inquiry later looked at Shipman's actions after he graduated from medical school in 1970 and found another 24 suspicious deaths dating back to 1971.”
News report · EBSCO ·
Harold Shipman Biography - EBSCO“In 1970, Shipman graduated from medical school and began his practice in Pontefract, a small town southeast of Leeds. After four years, Shipman joined a practice in Todmorden. After about a year of work there, he was caught forging prescriptions of pethidine for his own use. He had to undergo drug rehabilitation treatment and was fined, but he was allowed to resume practice in 1977 at Donneybrook Medical Centre in Hyde.”
News report · Royal College of Surgeons of England ·
20 Years after shipman: are patients safer? - Royal College of Surgeons“Shipman was arrested and convicted in 1975 on eight charges of illegally obtaining controlled drugs by forging prescriptions for pethidine in the name of his patients. In 1977, Shipman became a GP in Hyde, Greater Manchester, where he committed the vast majority of his murders.”
Other · Radford University Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Shipman, Harold Dr.“Born in Nottingham, England on 06/14/1946; convicted of 15 counts of murder and forging the will of Kathleen Grundy; sentenced to 15 life sentences on 01/31/2000; died by suicide in prison on 01/13/2004.”
News report · British Medical Journal ·
Shipman found dead in prison cell - BMJ“Harold Shipman, one of history's most prolific medical murderers, was found dead in his cell on Tuesday, after apparently hanging himself with bed-sheets attached to the bars of his window.”
News report · The Lancet ·
Murder most medical, disposal most discreet - The Lancet“Despite his pleas of innocence, in January, 2000, Shipman was convicted of 15 counts of murder, and of forging a will. The subsequent public inquiry has taken evidence on 493 suspicious deaths and found that Shipman killed 215 patients between 1975 and 1998.”
Other government record · UK Department of Health ·
Second Report The Police Investigation of March 1998 - THE SHIPMAN INQUIRY“On 31st January 2000, Harold Fredrick Shipman was convicted of the murder of 15 patients and of forging the will of one of them. On 7th September 1998, Shipman was arrested and charged with the murder of Mrs Grundy and with other offences associated with the forgery of her will.”
Other government record · UK Parliament ·
Harold Shipman - Hansard Parliamentary Debate“Harold Shipman is the general practitioner from Hyde, Greater Manchester, who was found guilty at Preston Crown court on 15 charges of murder, and of forging the will of one of his patients.”
News report · National Institutes of Health ·
GP faces 15 charges of murder - PMC“A GP was in the dock at Preston Crown Court in Lancashire facing charges of murdering 15 middle aged and elderly women patients. The women, mostly widows and all aged between 49 and 81, were patients of Dr Shipman at his singlehanded practice in Hyde, near Manchester.”
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