Blunkett: Shipman must die in prison

Harold Shipman, the GP thought to be Britain's worstever serial killer, must end his life behind bars, David Blunkett ruled today.

The Home Secretary announced that he had decided to set a "whole-life" prison sentence, so Shipman will not be eligible for early release, even in old age.

His decision comes ahead of the first report of the public inquiry into Shipman's crimes, which will reveal how many murders he actually committed.

"These were the most heinous of offences and the gross breach of the duty of trust he owed as a doctor to trusting patients," Mr Blunkett told the Commons this afternoon. "I have decided nothing less than a whole-life tariff should apply in this case."

Shipman was jailed for life at Preston Crown Court in January 2000 for the murders of 15 women patients he injected with heroin. Suspicions are growing that the GP was the most prolific serial killer in history.

He joins around 24 murderers imprisoned for the whole of their lives, including Moors Murderer Myra Hindley and Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper.

The public inquiry chaired by High Court judge Dame Janet Smith has examined the cases of 800 people who died while patients at Shipman's practices in Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire.