Essay On Harold Shipman

Dr. Harold Shipman: The World’s Most Prolific Serial Killer A serial killer can be defined as someone who murders three or more people over a period of thirty days whose motivation is largely based on psychological gratification. Throughout the 20th century, England produced some of the most notorious serial killers in recorded history. One of the most prolific serial killers in Britain’s history is Dr. Harold Shipman, usually known as “Dr. Death.” He carries this title because he is responsible for the murders of 218 of his own patients. However, this number is only an estimation. Many people believe he killed at least 250 between the years of 1975 and 1998. (Biography.com). Harold Frederick Shipman, known as “Freddy,” was born on January 14, 1946 in
He had promoted families to cremate their loved ones in at least half of the cases, he stressed that no further investigation on their untimely deaths was necessary (Jenkins). Furthermore, when the relatives would raise questions Shipman would present computerized medical notes that would confirm his cause of death explanations (“Dr. Harold Shipman”). Police later recognized that Shipman would modify these medical notes directly after killing each patient, to certify his explanations of their deaths matched the historical records (Biography.com). However, Shipman was not always the best at being sly. Shipman failed to comprehend that each alteration he made on his medical notes would be time stamped by the computer which allowed police to recognize precisely which records had been modified (“Dr. Harold Shipman). Following substantial investigations, which included countless exhumations and autopsies, the police officially arrested Shipman on September 7, 1998. He was charged was fifteen counts of murder and one count of forgery for the fraudulent will