THE head of hospital mental health services in Burnley went to medical college with Dr Harold Shipman - but said there was no indication of the chilling future actions of the man who was to become Britain's worst serial killer.

Consultant psychiatrist Dr Michael Launer, who today described the Shipman case as "like something from a horror movie" recalls his colleague at medical college in Leeds in the late 1960s as "quiet and hard-working."

But he added: "There was nothing special about him."

Dr Launer said Dr Shipman, a classmate for three years, was already married to wife Primrose, a fellow student he met at the college and who supported her husband through the marathon trial which culminated in the former Todmorden GP's conviction for the murder of 15 elderly women patients.

He recalls: "The thing I most remember about was his strong Nottingham accent.

"There were only about 80 in our year so we all got to know everyone to some extent.

"He was not in my social group - he was too quiet and he was also older than me."

Dr Launer said the Shipman case was unbelievable in that there appeared to be no checks in place to prevent the events happening.

"There was no control, no audit of what he was doing, he just did what he wanted to do and I cannot see how that should be allowed to happen." Dr Launer added he believed there should be no single-handed GP practices.

He said hospital doctors operated under strict monitoring and checks and believed the same should apply to GPs.

"I think they have too much freedom generally."

Dr Launer said he did not believe press speculation that Dr Shipman killed for kicks.

"There is no evidence to support that view," he said.

Dr Launer said his experience studying murderers in Broadmoor who were said to have killed without motive, proved to him that there always was a motive, but it was not always admitted.

"We do not know what the motive was in Shipman's case and I would not speculate on it in any way, but there would have been motive."

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