UK’s ‘Dr Death’ hangs self in jail

Britain’s mass murderer Harold Shipman — a doctor who killed hundreds of his patients — was found hanging dead in his cell on Tuesday, prison service said. Shipman, nicknamed ‘‘Dr Death’’ after his killing spree came to light, was convicted in 2000 of murdering 15 of his patients and sentenced to life in prison.

An inquiry later ruled he had murdered at least 215 of his patients with heroin injections, making him Britain’s — and one of the world’s — most prolific serial killer. Shipman killed his patients, one by one, over a more than 20-year period from 1975 to 1998. Of his victims, 171 were female and 44 male. ‘‘He was found dead, hanging in his cell,’’ a prison spokesman said.

A statement from Wakefield prison, where he had been held, said he was found a day before his 58th birthday. ‘‘Despite the best efforts of staff who attempted resuscitation, he was pronounced dead by a doctor at 8.10 GMT,’’ it said. —Reuters