Shipman: Another death confirmed

Shipman forged woman's cremation certificate

A woman who had nothing more than an inflamed bunion was unlawfully killed by serial killer GP Harold Shipman, an coroner has concluded.

Valerie Cuthbert, 54, a retired publican, was found dead at her home in Hyde, Manchester, on 29 May, 1996, hours after a visit from Shipman, an inquest heard.

South Manchester Coroner John Pollard said he could reach no other conclusion but that Shipman had killed another patient.

Shipman is currently serving a life sentence for the murder of 15 patients but a recent Department of Health report concluded that he may have killed up to 300 people.

Since Shipman was convicted last January Mr Pollard has ruled five other patients were unlawfully killed by him and has yet to hear another 22 inquests.

Suspicions

Shipman told Mrs Cuthbert's family that she died because she refused to go to hospital with what he called "a very inflamed bunion", the inquest heard.

But Mrs Cuthbert's decision not to go to hospital puzzled her family.

A neighbour raised suspicions about Mrs Cuthbert's death when police began their initial investigation into the death of Kathleen Grundy, whose forged will later led to Shipman's conviction.

Detective Sergeant John Walker, of Greater Manchester Police, told the inquest that Shipman had altered details he had written on Mrs Cuthbert's cremation form.

He also changed the times he had seen Mrs Cuthbert and when she contacted the surgery, the inquest heard.

Open verdict

Mrs Cuthbert was found dead sitting up in her chair by her sister-in-law Susan Cuthbert.

Dr John Greville, a GP, told the inquest that if Mrs Cuthbert had died of heart failure, she would have struggled for breath and it was unlikely she would have died sitting in the chair.

He said her death was consistent with being poisoned by a morphine injection.

Having ruled out an open verdict or the possibility of death by natural causes, Mr Pollard said: "I am driven to the conclusion that Valerie Cuthbert was unlawfully killed.

Kathleen Grundy's death led to the Shipman investigation

"To reach any other conclusion would be pushing the grounds of possibility or probability too far."

After the verdict sister-in-law Susan Cuthbert said: "I am glad it's over. She's at peace now. Thank goodness he has been stopped."

In a statement read by a solicitor, Mrs Cuthbert's sister and brother-in-law, Margery and Ronald Taylor, said: "We are relieved at the coroner's conclusion, albeit in extremely distressing circumstances."

Valerie Cuthbert was one of 23 alleged victims of Shipman who were cremated - the so-called 'B' list.

Their bodies could not be exhumed for the type of evidence which led to Shipman's initial convictions.

On Tuesday, an unlawful killing verdict was recorded on Hilda Hibbert, 81, who was found dead shortly after Shipman visited her home in January 1996.