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Downfall not just down to computer

15/ 7/2002

HAROLD Shipman's downfall wasn't confined to his computer records, everything he did pointed to a catalogue of lies.

The Market Street practice's appointment diary, telephone records, Shipman's very own pager - they showed he lied continually in an attempt to cover his trail.

Det Chief Insp Mike Williams believes each factor greatly undermined Shipman's story.

"Very often Dr Shipman would say, 'I have called an ambulance' if he was disturbed in an unsolicited visit," DCI Williams said.

"Later he would go out of the room and pretend to make another call to cancel the ambulance - but none of these calls were recorded."

Doctors have a main number requesting an ambulance and don't need to call 999, neither line was ever used.

"In one case, Dr Shipman said he was responding to a telephone call made by the deceased to the surgery," DCI Williams said.

"What we were able to do was by looking at the telephone account of that particular individual, we can turn around and say no telephone call was recorded at the time he said it took place.

"There was also no correction in the visitors' book at the surgery requesting a visit."

The police also uncovered several blanks when they investigated the extensive pager records, whereby he claimed his surgery had called him to attend an individual's home.