How did Harold Shipman kill his victims?
HAROLD SHIPMAN is commonly known as Britain's worst serial killer after 250 of his patients died while under his watch.
Although the former GP was convicted of 15 murders, it is feared the number of victims could be much higher.
How did Harold Shipman kill his victims?
Harold Shipman went on trial in October 1999 at Preston Crown Court charged with the murders of 15 patients.
All died from lethal injections of diamorphine between 1995 and 1998.
He was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment on 15 counts of murder and one count of forgery - with a recommendation that he never be released.
Shipman is the only doctor in the history of British medicine to be found guilty of murdering his patients.
He took his own life in prison in 2004.
The Shipman inquiry carried out in 2004 concluded that he had killed at least 218 patients - but the real figure could be as high as 459.
Most estimates claim that he killed around 260 - mostly elderly women.
But his youngest known victim was four-year-old Susie Garfitt, who was killed in the ten minutes while her mum was away making a cup of tea.
Shipman's crimes were finally uncovered after he forged the will of one of his victims, Kathleen Grundy, leaving him everything.
Who were Harold Shipman's victims?
The 15 people Shipman was convicted of killing are:
- Marie West, 81, March 1995
- Irene Turner, 67, July 1996
- Lizzie Adams, 77, February 1997
- Jean Lilley, 58, April 1997
- Ivy Lomas, 63, May 1997
- Muriel Grimshaw, 76, July 1997
- Marie Quinn, 67, November 1997
- Laura Kathleen Wagstaff, 81, December 1997
- Bianka Pomfret, 49, December 1997
- Norah Nuttall, 64, January 1998
- Pamela Marguerite Hillier, 68, February 1998
- Maureen Alice Ward, 57, February 1998
- Winifred Mellor, 73, May 1998
- Joan May Melia, 73, June 1998
- Kathleen Grundy, 81, June 1998
How many deaths occurred at Pontefract General infirmary?
The Shipman Inquiry found Dr Death probably killed up to 15 patients at the hospital while working his first job as a junior doctor.
Chillingly, there was a six month period in 1972 where Shipman roamed the corridors late at night - possibly testing the drugs he had at his disposal.
Dame Janet Smith, who chaired the inquiry, concluded he had killed 15 after investigating 137 deaths at Pontefract that occurred while Shipman was a junior doctor.
She said there was "some suspicion that Shipman might be involved in causing the deaths" of an additional 17 patients.
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A further 64 were due to natural causes and she was unable to reach any conclusion in another 45 cases.
A nurse who worked at the hospital with Shipman has revealed she could have stopped him 30 years ago but was too naive to raise concerns.
Sandra Whitehead, who was 18 when she worked alongside the serial killer in 1972, became suspicious after three patients Shipman had been looking after died.