A much more recent series of killings were those committed by Dr Harold Shipman, who killed many ageing victims over several decades. It is believed that his first victim was an aged woman who he killed in 1971. Over time he killed more people, somewhere between 200 and 300 of them, all his own patients, and not once during his trial did he offer an explanation for these murders. All of his victims were killed with a lethal injection of diamorphine.

The horrific facts of Harold Shipman came to light in January 2001. Before that Shipman was in no way suspected of anything. The families of those in his care saw him as a reliable, if slightly peculiar, doctor. It was only until many were dying in his care that people began to talk. Some of the deceased patients’ bodies were exhumed and re-examined (though Shipman often persuaded the families of those in his care to have their loved ones cremated), and it all became clear what had been going on. Shipman had been administering a lethal amount of diamorphine, killing his patients. He was arrested, but on January 13th 2004 Harold Shipman was found dead in his cell having hanged himself.