Harold Shipman advert: Life Insurance company DeadHappy issue apology after using picture of serial killer in ad

By Leanne Clarke
Published 26th Jan 2023, 10:55 BST
Updated 26th Jan 2023, 10:57 BST
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Life Insurance company, Dead Happy, has issued an apology after using serial killer Harold Shipman’s photo in an advert.

The firm ran an advert featuring a photo of Shipman, dubbed the most prolific murderer in British history, who was convicted in 1998 of killing 15 people.

Accompanying the photo was the text: "Life insurance: Because you never know who your doctor might be."

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Founder of Cura Financial Services, Kathryn Knowles, posted her thoughts about the ad on Twitter, avoiding naming the life insurance company directly. She said: “There is a firm that is promoting life insurance using the picture of a mass murderer to promote their services.

Harold Shipman hanged himself at HMP Wakefield in January 2004.Harold Shipman hanged himself at HMP Wakefield in January 2004.
Harold Shipman hanged himself at HMP Wakefield in January 2004.

“I will name neither as I won’t give them the satisfaction of popping up in more search results. Please know that many of us in insurance find this beyond despicable.”

Shipman studied at Leeds School of Medicine, graduating in 1970. He began working at Pontefract General Infirmary and in 1974, started working as a GP at the Abraham Ormerod Medical Centre in Todmorden.

Over the course of three decades, he killed a number of his patients in their own homes with brazen impunity - only finally being stopped as a result of a dispute over the will of his final victim rather than by a murder being uncovered.

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He was convicted of killing 15 of his patients over two decades by injecting them with diamorphine.

However, an inquiry after his trial found that he may have been responsible for the deaths of 250 of his patients.

He was apprehended after a fraud attempt in 1998 He hanged himself at HMP Wakefield in January 2004.

In a statement, the founder of DeadHappy said: "We are called DeadHappy and our strapline is ‘Life insurance to die for’ so we are aware of the provocative and to some the very shocking nature of our brand.

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"But being provocative is different to being offensive and it is of course never our intention to offend or upset people. It is our intention to make people stop and think.

"If however you have been personally distressed by this advert we do sincerely apologise."