Bungling Shipman officer re-hired

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A detective who botched an inquiry into serial killer Harold Shipman was re-hired by the same force the day after he retired, it has been revealed.

An official inquiry criticised Detective Inspector David Smith after his mishandled inquiries prior to the GP murdering his final three victims.

He was suspended on full pay by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) for several years before retiring on 31 July.

He was re-hired as a civilian on 1 August but has since been sacked.

A GMP spokeswoman said the force accepted the decision was "wrong" and said the 49-year-old would cease his employment with them.

'Out of depth'

The officer was criticised for not properly investigating Dr Harold Shipman after concerns were raised in March 1998 by a fellow GP in Hyde.

Shipman was not arrested until six months later by which time he had murdered Winifred Mellor and Joan Melia, both 73, and Kathleen Grundy, 81.

Dame Janet Smith, who chaired the Shipman Inquiry investigating the case, concluded their lives could have been saved by a "properly directed" police investigation, and the man in charge, DI Smith, was "out of his depth".

The officer also later played down the seriousness of the initial allegations about Shipman then lied to deflect criticism, Dame Janet said.

We have reviewed the recruitment and selection process in relation to this appointment and accept that the wrong decision was made Greater Manchester Police spokeswoman

The matter was investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

But the CPS decided there was insufficient evidence to prosecute the officer.

His new job would have earned him around £30,000 a year and would have seen him working in an advisory capacity assisting with investigations into suspicious deaths.

A Greater Manchester Police spokeswoman said: "We have reviewed the recruitment and selection process in relation to this appointment and accept that the wrong decision was made.

"Consequently, his temporary contract with GMP will not be confirmed and he will cease his employment with the force."

Shipman murdered at least 215 victims by giving lethal morphine injections during a killing spree lasting from 1975 to 1998, the Shipman Inquiry concluded.

He was convicted in January 2000 of murdering 15 of his patients and jailed for life but hanged himself aged 57 from his cell window at Wakefield Prison in January 2004.