Shipman received 100s of cards from patients, wishing him well when he was accused, which he stuck up around his surgery reception. He even ‘broke down’ to a patient, telling them between tears, that ‘there’s doctors across the road that will see you if you feel I’m guilty’
some families even started ‘groups’ calling it a witch-hunt.
My ‘favourite’ story is that of a former police officer, who was Shipmans ‘patient fund’ co-ordinator. He was called Len Fellows I believe, and he was convinced shipman was not guilty.
Len began verbally attacking the police officers involved in the case when they visited the local pub. He had just told one police officer to ‘get lost’ when said police officer turned round and said, ‘I didn’t realise you were a heroin addict, Len’ and handed him a printout of Shipman’s prescribing records.
Shipman had prescribed Diamorphine to Len - who never needed it and without his knowledge - and collected the heroin himself. He then used this heroin to kill scores of patients.
At that, Len replied: ‘the bloody bastard’ and converted to the guilty camp.
Yes, that sounds made up but it isn’t. Feel free to watch the 2002 film based on Shipman, read books on the case, or read The Shipman Inquiry itself.
with the benefit of hindsight, it’s very unusual the high regard Shipmans patients held him in. My personal doctor is good, but my goodness me. Shipman didn’t have patients, he had a cult following in some cases