The Shipman Letters

The following letters are the first in a series of letters (the remaining letters will appear on criminalprofiling within the week) written by convicted murderer Dr Harold Shipman from his prison cell. The letters were sent to a couple who were close friends of Dr Shipmans for over 25 years. They remained friends until the end of Shipmans murder trial when the couple became convinced of his guilt and confronted him during a prison visit. The correspondence ended. The letters date between September 1998 and January 2000. All spellings are Shipman's. Annotations are sometimes made in bold parenthesis. Shipman signed his letters with 'Fred' (Harold Fredrick Shipman).

September 21, 1998 HM Prison Preston Dear........ Thank you for your note. Now day 14 on remand. The cell is 12ft x 8ft; bunk beds; 2 chairs; 1 table; 2 lockers and 1 loo/washbasin. Very Porridge in style. Meals 07.30, 11.30, 17.30. Food high carbohydrate, not high in protein. Edible, sometimes palatable, rarely tasty. Exercise is one hour per day on an asphalt court yard walking round the white line. Fortunately, i escape by walking a walk, i just imagine I’m walking in the park past this tree, that seat, the pond etc carefully measuring the distances out. 48xround equals 3 miles only got to 36 laps so far. Education is a laugh I'm better qualified than the teachers but word processing and spread sheets are going to be my thing. The prisoners fall into three: the helpful, the morbidly interested, the thick ones still coming off drugs. All our [are] legal eagls full of the jargon and all of us are innocent. My cell mate strangely isn't. He pleaded guilty so there is always one honest man. Most of the officers don't know what to do with me but I'm polite so I cause no problems only so I get on with them OK. The story is far less sensational than the press made everyone beleave. Mrs. Grundy was known to me for some years before she became a patient. (Shipman's last victim. He forged her will and when it was discovered her body was exhumed - Her daughter had refused to cremate her as Shipman had suggested she should do - and traces of morphine were found) Over the past 18/12 [months] I challenged her regarding taking drugs not of my volition. She denied it. (Shipman's defence was that the elderly Mrs Grundy was a heroin addict) She borrowed my portable typwriter (as an active member of a Pensioners Luncheon Club and Age Concern I let her have it). (The Will was shown to have been drawn up on Shipman's typewriter. He alleged the victim had borrowed it.) Some 4 weeks before her death she gets out a piece of paper and asks me to witness it. I got two patients to do it. The day before she dies I see her frailty getting worse and decide I need some fresh blood. As its on the way in I visit 0800 hrs bleed her. I leave her alone. Unfortunately, she doesn't ring or see anyone that morning. She is found dead and I visit confirm death. She was dressed and laid on the settee. I check with the coroner: yes Old Age was acceptable so thats what I wrote her up as. August 1, 12 noon the police are at the back door of surgery with a warrant to search the premis's with the charge being "suspicious death and a possible murder charge". What a shock. Fortunately the Medical Defence Union where great. Then five weeks later I got arrested. We went to the police station got charged had 3x3 hr episods of questioning and then got charged. She'd left me some money and the will was written on my typewriter. The toxicology showed some morphine in the blood. Well there it is. Obviously I'm guilty person but I'm Not. No bail, serious charge; I'd interfere with the records, the patients, the staff and I had £500,000 abroad plus a villa in Spain!! The latter claims have found to be false as you could guess. Then to cover themselves they said I had access to £750,000. This it turns out is the money in the Fund holding budget. This is held on paper by the Health Authority and one having access is laughable. So off to Strangeways but only for the night. Then off to Preston. Told I'm high suicide risk so for 7 days at night have the light on to see I'm alive. After 2nd magistrates court I persuaded the Dr here that I was OK, emotional but not suicidal and so I've now had 4 more cells before this on B wing. This is the civilised wing, more time out, less hassle off the prison officers. It looks like I'll move once again tomorrow down on to level 2 which is apparently the best All things are comparative, so best isn’t all it sounds to be. Court in 3 weeks, further court in 4 more weeks, then committal and trial grey February. There is a minute chance of bail at commital so fingers toes crossed. Primrose is visiting nearly every day. How she is coping is difficult to comprehend. There has been a lot of support from friends but no access to the practice or staff hasn't helped at all. Hopefully, the QC will be able to present the case in such a way that my side of the story comes out and that I'm believed when I say I didn't give the old lady anything and that I didn't influence her with her will. The worst will be life (30 years) the best not guilty, little apparently in between. Not a pleasant thought and so little I personally can do to affect any decision. The QC has been taking me though my life age 8 to 1996. Rather strange to talk of me as the 3rd party. It s all about how I look after patients, what views I have of work, patients rights, how I "interface" with the staff and so on nothing, about the case at all yet. Very strange set of affairs and I'm not enjoying it at all. Yours Fred. ----------------- October 12, 1998 Dear..... I saw Primrose today and she tells me you had the Press visit. I'm really sorry they have bothered you. I assume you got found from old Press cuttings. The Press have been incredibly intrusive. They have told the wrong story nearly every time. They've got the details wrong, my age, address, the age of the patients involved and the number involved. The police have been only slightly les of a bother. Last week they questioned me for over 8 hours then suddenly produced 'new' evidence not disclosed to my solicitor. (The evidence from Shipman's computer showing he had altered patients' medical records after their death) Now I dealt with it but the interpretation the police put on it had me a mass murderer. The solicitor stopped matters then and at that point I broke down. Now I'm on the medical ward and now on an anti-depressants. The police are really going for me. We've got the one charge of murder 3 others which will be thrown out for improper interviews and then 2 more bodies being dug up. (Three victims had been exhumed. One more on the day of this letter and another the day after. All bodies showed traces of morphine). I'm not sure when the police will stop but soon I hope for the relations of the deceased. I'm starting to feel better and am getting angry with how all of this has been dealt with. Unfortunately, I've not been able to do anything about it. All I can do is to tell the truth and hope I get sensible people on the jury. The practise will be lost as the trial is now June probably September and will last 6-8 weeks!! If I'm away for 12 months then I lose the practice. Christopher (Shipman's oldest son) is trying to sort out the formal side for me as I have been cut off from society in here. Again I'm sorry you have been bothered but if you ring Primrose she'll give you a telephone number they can ring, the MDU (Medical Defence Union) who will handle it for you. Sorry again. Love Fred. -------------------- January 13, 1999 Dear....... First letter of the new year to you. I hope the pair of you had a happy Christmas and New Year. Mine was different to say the least. The authorities took the view that if were fed well and let out of our cells for longer we would behave. The effect on those mentally unstable prisoners was to get them asking to go back to their cells by mid afternoon. So most days there were only the 6 of us playing pool, scrabble, trivial pursuit or just looking at the TV. Telephone calls were the best we could do but the effects were traumatic, no one came off the phone but that he sat quiet for a time before getting back in the wing activity. No one to hug, no one to kiss, no presents given or received, no Buck Fizz and toast in bed, no friends dropping in for 2 minutes and staying 2 hours. No open fire for toast and tea mid afternoon. No time for a quiet moment that appears about 4.00 for us. No suggestions of a walk to give a breath of fresh air - nothing. It is very depressing time for everyone. Prim and the kids went to Jayne and Robs for Christmas meal and they came Boxing Day for tea at our house. Yesterday I was at Preston Crown Court on 3 charges of mur4der and 3 pleas of not guilty. Straight forward. The prosecuting barrister then said "would the judge feel it was OK to put all other charges on the 1.3.99 so that court time was saved?" Last week in Magistrates Court they (the prosecution) had said it was impossible to do!! My barrister had apparently threatened to take it up with the Presiding Judge for the N.W. hence, the "helpful" prosecution. It all took ten minutes, cost about #3,000 and for what? The legal system is very odd. The only bad thing at court was my barrister telling me that they were intending 10 more charges concerning cremated patients. As the toxicology is the plank of the charges just how do they intend to present the cases? If they do it will be a first. The case is already a first for computer evide3nce, a first for the publicity, a first for the number of charges, a first for Lancaster Legal School who are using my case for their 'Long case' for finals. There are several other firsts as well. SO the next burst of publicity will be 1/3/99. All the family are coping. Sam (Shipman's youngest son) came to see me over Christmas and coped and has been again. David, (Shipman's middle son) well he is David, mature, chatty a personality to be jealous of. Like Sarah (Shipman's daughter) in so many ways. The older two cope and have partners to lean on. The amazing thing is the continued support for Primrose from friends and neighbours and patients. She still gets hugged in the street and told "it will be ok" by patients. I've four patients who keep writing to me in Prison, now I'm established here they have said they will visit. The intense kindness of people makes me feel so humble to know them and recieve their wishes and thoughts. I'd rather not be in this situation and not recieve their letters, but I am and their support is helping me get through the long, long wait for the trial - Oct/Nov now. How are you..still working? I gather you are grand parents now. None of our lot have ever thought of it yet. That all for now. Love Fred. -------------- February 22, 1999 Dear....... Just a line to keep you up date. Today I went back to Ashton Police station to be charged and appeared in the Magistrates Court for committal. As it is a police charge, the police move me. So two Ford Galaxies, 4 officers in one with me, one following with the spare vehicle. all armed, this is the Tactical Response Team. Above is the helicopter just in case. Probably took #2,000 to take me and bring me back. The police charged me with 6 more where the body has been cremated. They are trying to show M.O. which applies to all of them. If I'm asked "do you drop in on patients?" the answer has to be yes. "Do you see patients on a morning and visit the next day?" Again the answer is yes. It has to be me, I'm the only Doctor in the practice and know my patients so when one moans I do cold call to see how they are managing. It's part of being a GP. Not according to the police and CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) Anyway, I'm back in Strangeways until the next trip. Its 34 weeks today for Oct 1 and the trial, where hasn't been fixed. Prison life is very routine I know its Sat/Sun because we get cornflakes at breakfast time. The week days, well you just have to pick something out to make the day different. Today its easy: the trip to Ashton. Tomorrow my solicitor is coming to talk about the 6 cases and on Wednesday as well. Primrose gets most days, not after a court hearing, so the phone has to suffice. The lads get to see me once a fortnight and the same with Sarah. Christopher has only just been cleared for visiting. So he'll be another fortnight before his time to visit. He is very busy which suggest the economy is OK south of Leicester. I'm on my fourth cell mate. There was another but he smelt, had disgusting eating habits and was Irish Catholic who admitted throwing petrol bombs in Belfast. He lasted 2 days. So I've had a murderer, Pete, a car their, Eamond, a house burglar, Patrick, and now Tony, who is in for a concealed weapon theft. With the exception of one they are all normal people who have broken the law. Fortunately we don't get the "druggies" to be dried out so the wing is relatively quiet. Only Patrick who strips off at the drop of a hanky and throws his clothes out of the cell. The other nuisance is a guy who kicks the door, even head butting it when everyone else wants to sleep. The kids are still coping. David perhaps less well. He comes home every 3 weeks and eats Prim out of house and home says he's not sleeping and sleeps all day Saturday n a bean bag! Sam is on a course and enjoying himself. Christopher is in London and apparently very busy - signs of the economy improving. Prim copes most of the time, she like me goes into tears over little things. When I moved cells she'd sent a couple of cards with poppies on. I opened them to see the verse and I have to sit on the floor and sob. She gets like it too. Although I'm on antidepressants they only take off the worst and leave you to cope, if you can. I'll write again when we have some news. Love Fred. ------------