British police probe more cases linked to 'Dr. Death'

From Correspondent Margaret Lowrie

MANCHESTER, England (CNN) -- British police said on Monday they were investigating 39 more cases of patients who died while under the care of Dr. Harold Shipman, who has already been convicted of killing 15 people.

The new probe brings to 175 the total number of cases thus far requiring a police investigation in connection with the man the British tabloids have labeled "Dr. Death."

"Thirty-nine further deaths have been brought to our attention who were patients of Shipman," said a spokeswoman for the Greater Manchester Police.

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CNN's Margaret Lowrie reviews the new probe. (February 7) Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K

After a four-month trial, a jury found Shipman, 54, guilty of 15 murders and one count of forgery last week. He received a life sentence for each of the 15 killings, to be served concurrently, and another four years for forging the will of his last known victim, Kathleen Grundy, 81, to make himself the beneficiary of her $600,000 estate.

The 15 patients were all middle-aged or elderly women, and all died between 1995 and 1998. It is believed Shipman, a family doctor in nearby Hyde for 20 years, killed them with lethal injections of diamorphine, the medical term for heroin.

In addition to the 39 new cases given to Manchester police for investigation and the 15 convictions, 98 other cases were dropped because of "insufficient evidence" and 23 more were handed over by police to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) last week for a decision on whether or not to prosecute.

The CPS says it will make that decision taking into account the families of the alleged victims as well as the possibility that massive publicity would prejudice chances for a fair second trial.

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