News about Harold Shipman

A senior doctor dismissed the idea that baby serial killer Lucy Letby (pictured) might be harming newborns as 'impossible', the inquiry has heard. Neo-natal nurse Letby, 34, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims. But another nine babies also died on the unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital from January 2015 until Letby was removed from working the following summer.

The NHS is not set up to root out 'bad apples', an expert told the Lucy Letby inquiry today. Professor Mary Dixon-Woods, an expert in healthcare improvement at Cambridge University, said the health service had developed a 'no blame' approach for dealing with medical errors or accidents over the past 25 years in a bid to improve. But, a consequence, hospitals struggle to identify bad apples - individual staff members who display incompetent, abusive, bullying or even criminal behaviour, including murder - as a threat to patient safety, she said.

Lucy Letby's nurse training at university covered the case of 'Angel of Death' serial killer Beverley Allitt who murdered four children at hospital, a public inquiry has heard. The Thirlwall Inquiry, which will probe how Letby was able to attack babies on the Countess and Chester Hospital's neo-natal unit in 2015 and 2016, opened on Tuesday with a statement which referenced nurse Allitt and killer GP Harold Shipman. Baby killer Allitt - the 'Angel of Death' - murdered four children under her care in 1991 at the Grantham and Kesteven Hospital, Lincolnshire. She was also found guilty of attempting to murder another three, and causing grievous bodily harm with intent to a further six children.

The 14 babies murdered or harmed by child serial killer nurse Lucy Letby are at the 'heart' of a public inquiry into the events surrounding her crimes, a senior Court of Appeal judge said as the hearings began today. Lady Justice Thirlwall is chairing the investigation at Liverpool Town Hall to examine how Letby was able to attack babies on the Countess and Chester Hospital's neo-natal unit in 2015 and 2016, and how its bosses handled concerns about her. Letby, 34, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims.

Phill Woodruff (right), 79, who works as an experimental surface physicist at The Royal Society, is the son-in law of Kathleen Grundy (inset), who was the last of Shipman's victims. In a new Channel 5 documentary, The Trial of Harold Shipman (left) which airs tonight,  Phil explains how he blames the serial killer, known as Dr. Death, for his wife Angela's (right) passing too.

There was no reason to suspect Fiona Beal might have murdered her boyfriend Nicholas Billingham - nor, indeed, that Billingham had even gone missing. After Beal killed the 42-year-old in November 2021, she sent messages to his family and friends from his phone, purporting to be him and claiming they'd split up. She even invited Billingham's mother for tea as her son's decomposing body lay feet away. She might have got away with her crime had police, concerned over reports of her mental health, not visited Beal, a respected primary school teacher, at a rented chalet in Cumbria, where they found her diary - and in it what amounted to a confession. 'While he was in the bath, I kept the knife in my dressing gown pocket and then hid it in the drawer next to the bed,' Beal, 50, had written, before describing her attempts to dispose of her controlling boyfriend's corpse, which was 'harder than I thought it would be. Hiding a body was bad. Moving a body is much more difficult than it looks on TV'.

A female prison officer had sex with depraved serial killer Levi Bellfield (inset) and several other serious criminals in the 'Monster Mansion' jail, according to a new book. The warden at HMP Wakefield, a high security prison which holds some of the most dangerous criminals in the country, slept with several inmates, the book claims. Nearly two thirds are inside as a result of the most serious sex offences, and it has a close supervision centre for the most disruptive. Among those inside are John Warboys and paedophile Ian Watkins (pictured right). Pictured top left is Harold Shipman, pictured bottom left is Roy Whiting

Andrew Aston, then 29, received the longest prison sentence ever handed down in England and Wales when he was convicted in 2002. Over a period of three months in early 2001, Aston attacked 26 elderly and disabled people in robberies at their homes in Birmingham and nearby Smethwick, with two dying. George Dale, 87, died two weeks after being attacked in his home in the inner-city area of Ladywood and Frank Hobley, 80, attacked the same month at home in Stechford, succumbed to his injuries three months later. By the time he went on trial in January 2002, six of his victims had died, while another six were too frail to give evidence against him in court. Of the dead victims, it was felt that only two met the threshold for murder charges. Aston, now 51, had a one-day hearing in March 2023 and told the Parole Board he was a reformed man and no longer a danger to the public. Despite his pleas, the killer was told a few weeks later that his appeal had been rejected. He was also refused a move to an open prison.

An investigation has been launched into the death of notorious serial killer and rapist Peter Tobin after he died following a fall in his prison cell. Tobin, (pictured left) who was 76 when he died in 2022, raped and murdered several female students and was serving a life sentence for raping and murdering Polish student Angelika Kluk, 23, (inset, left)and hiding her body under the floor of a Glasgow church in 2006. The killer was also serving life terms for the murders of 15-year-old schoolgirl Vicky Hamilton in 1991, and 18-year-old Dinah McNicol the same year (inset centre and right). Their bodies were found 17 years later, buried in the garden of his former home in Margate, Kent. It is impossible to know many women he raped and killed over his life, but criminologists think the true number is likely to be far higher than three. Today, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service announced a probe into this death because it occurred after he fell in his cell on September 8, 2022 at HMP Edinburgh (pictured right).

Patric Gagne, a happily married mother of two, is a happy marriage. She's a great therapist and a member of a country club, and right now she's smiling so much that she's a sociopath.' And I love it!'

It's January 2019, and Donald, 78, awakenes sore and groggy after emergency surgery. The heron-faced consultant is soon by his bedside. The news is tragic. Donald, he claims, has late-stage, inoperable bowel cancer. He only has weeks to live. You might never get home. Doctors might also have advocated euthanasia in some countries. Donald was my father, and a tale was born. But euthanasia - or, as it is incorrectly described as, 'assisted death' - hasn't been able to go away in recent years. And if it does have a face.

Sir Richard Henriques (inset), one of Britain's most prominent lawyers, played a key role in some of the most notorious trials of recent years. He explains why the brutal murder of toddler James Bulger (left) by two ten-year-old schoolboys Robert Thompson (top right) and Jon Venables (bottom right) haunts him to this day.

How had the Met had come to believe 'Nick' and then, on his say-so alone, cruelly expose a number of very eminent, innocent individuals (including Harvey Proctor and Lord Brittan, both pictured above left) to vile and false accusations? I was asked to answer this problem. It was clear to me that 'Nick' (main picture) was not only a serial liar, but that his charges were also astonishing within hours of starting to read the documents surrounding the long police investigation.

Sir Richard Henriques (bottom right), one of Britain's most prominent lawyers, appeared in some of the most notorious trials of recent years. His is a unique insight into our justice system's inner workings, beginning with Harold Shipman (left), a GP who was also a serial killer and murdered at least 215 of his patients, including Joan Melia (top middle), Kathleen Grundy (bottom middle) and Marie Quinn (bottom middle).

The two were sentenced to life in 20 and 20 years for a minimum term of 22 and 20 years. When sentences were handed down last month, they displayed no emotion at Manchester Crown Court. Ratcliffe's legal team now receives £104,237, while Jenkinson's receives £82,262, making a total of £186,499. When contacted, the Ministry of Justice has asked for clarification, but said that no fees have been reported, as yet.

Scarlett Jenkinson (pictured left and inset) psychiatrist has revealed the truth of the murder of Brianna Ghey (pictured right), saying she 'lacked empathy' and had no regrets. Dr. Richard Church, a respected child psychiatrist, began a friendship with Jenkinson, 16 years ago, after several meetings. Dr. Church was'very calm' when she confessed to killing Brianna, but she may have been copying words used by serial killer Jeffery Dahmer, according to a homicia. Jenkinson and accomplice Eddie Ratcliffe lured the transgender school student to Linear Park, Culcheth, where she was stabbed 28 times to the head, neck, chest, and back. The teen had a fascination with violence, torture, and murder, and had falsely stated the murder of two victims already, while describing the desire to have bodily parts as sick souvenirs. Both Jenkinson and Ratcliffe were found guilty of murder two days earlier, and the judge allowed the teens to be named publicly for the first time.

Scarlett Jenkinson, one of the teenagers stabbed schoolgirl Brianna Ghey to death, has said that what she did was 'beyond their worst nightmares' and that they are'sincerely sorry' for her horrific crimes. The family said in a tweet shared last night that they agreed with 'the jury's decision, the judge's sentence, and the decision to name the criminals.' Scarlett Jenkinson and co-conspirator Eddie Ratcliffe were given a life sentence for the murder of the 16-year-old girl in a Warrington park in February 2023. Both murderers were 15 years old at the time.

Ratcliffe and Jenkinson are now being detained in secure youth housing units at Adel Beck Secure Children's Home in Leeds and Ratcliffe, where they are likely to remain in Salford until they reach the age of 18.

According to a judge, Scarlett Jenkinson wanted to preserve part of Brianna Ghey's flesh as a token and said she was 'excited' as she stabbed the schoolgirl to death. Jenkinson killed Brianna knowing that she was going to leave her and wanted a piece of her body so she would 'always be with her.' She also spoke about a previous occurrence in which Brianna became sick, triggering her to poison her victim with pills. Jenkinson said she and Ratcliffe intentionally lured Brianna to the park in a longer account of events.

Scarlett Jenkinson had been fascinated by serial murderers, including Harold Shipman and Richard Ramirez of California, who were also interested in reading pages of notebooks containing jottings about their methods and characters. She assembled a 'kill list' of five potential opponents with Eddie Ratcliffe before settling on Brianna Ghey, who considered her a friend. Jenkinson - who admitted for the first time that she did stab Brianna and 'enjoyed planning the murder' - assembled a second 'kill list' of employees at the safe youth facility where she was detained.

On Friday, Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe were sentenced to prison for the first time as Jenkinson admitted that she did stab the adolescent and 'enjoyed planning the murder.' Jenkinson and Ratcliffe, a former champion kickboxer who was known as Boy Y, are being sentenced to as Girl X during her appeal for the 16-year-old's horrific stabbing. Detectives fear the 'warped' pair with a 'taste for murder' could have transferred to another individual if they hadn't been arrested just 24 hours after they knifed Brianna to death, causing the court to read Jenkinson's second 'kill list' after being arrested. After the 'frenzied' assault at a popular beauty spot in a Cheshire village on February 11 last year, the body of 'timid' Brianna was discovered face-down in the mud with 28 stab wounds. The twisted murderers, who were described as a "danger to society" by their victim's mother, had planned the assault in advance, with a handwritten note in Jenkinson's room reading: "Saturday 11th, 2023.' Brianna Ghey's apprehensions: They then began to cover their tracks, with Jenkinson naming Brianna as'such an amazing friend' and "one of the best people I've ever met" on Snapchat. Esther Ghey and her father Pete Spooner were photographed arriving in court on Friday morning, surrounded by friends and relatives where they learned that Jenkinson has now admitted to stabbed Brianna numerous times.

Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe have been identifying the two serial killer-obsessed teenagers who brutally murdered Brianna Ghey. Jenkinson and Ratcliffe, a former champion kickboxer who was known as Boy Y at the time, were sentenced to Girl X today in a televised hearing. Detectives suspect the 'warped' pair with a 'taste for killing' could have pounded onto another individual if they hadn't been arrested less than 24 hours after they knifed the transgender schoolgirl to death. After the 'frenzied' assault at a popular beauty spot in a Cheshire village on February 11, last year, the body of 'timid' Brianna was discovered face-down in the mud. Jenkinson's room reading: "Saturday 11th February 2023, her twisted killers planned the attack in great detail, with a handwritten note in Jenkinson's room.' Brianna Ghey's victim: "Britina Gheyna" was the perpetrator.

XCLUSIVE: Scarlett Jenkinson (left and right) looked to be an ordinary teenage girl until her arrest on February 12 for Brianna Ghey's murder (top inset). The then-15-year-old, who was previously known only as Girl X, was seen by neighbors as quiet and slightly concerned, born to a 'hardworking' parent and a mother who worked in education. However, Jenkinson will proceed to build up her own 'kill list' of other children, plotting Brianna's death. Jenkinson was officially suspended for attempting to poison a fellow student with cannabis 'gummies', which made them sick, but after the student's collapse in October 2022, she needed hospitalization.

Women who murder are unusual. Girls are also rare. And today, Scarlett Jenkinson (left) is one of a select group of female killers under the age of 16 to have committed a heinous crime deserving of a life term. What makes Jenkinson's tale so difficult to comprehend is that she had a start in life that many others would envy, with two loving parents (pictured together right) in a middle-class Cheshire village.