Harold Shipman in ‘absolutely disgusting’ life insurance ad

A life insurance company has sparked outrage after running an ad featuring a picture of Harold Shipman.

DeadHappy, a Leicester–The local company, known for provocative advertising, used an image of the serial killer alongside the caption, “Life Insurance: Because You Never Know Who Your Doctor Might Be.”

Former GP Shipman, dubbed “Dr. Death’ is a notorious killer believed to have killed hundreds of elderly and vulnerable patients in the North of England over two decades.

Considered one of the most prolific serial killers of all time, the 57-year-old committed suicide in Wakefield Prison in January 2004 after being sentenced to life in prison four years earlier for the murder of 15 elderly patients.

The advert was slammed on social media, with Kathryn Knowles, founder of insurance brokerage Cura, revealing that she has made an official complaint to the Financial Conduct Authority, the city’s regulator and the UK advertising regulator, the ASA.

She wrote on Twitter: “There is a company that advertises life insurance and uses the image of a mass murderer to advertise their services.

“I won’t name any as I won’t give them the satisfaction of showing up in more search results. Please note that many of us in insurance find this beyond contemptible.

“I would hope that the FCA and ASA would take action on this. I would like to make a formal complaint to both of them about this complaint and will send them a copy.’

Speaking to the Telegraph, she said: “I just don’t see how anyone in their right mind could have thought that this was the right thing to do. People in our industry are appalled, absolutely appalled.”

Referring to the surviving relatives of Shipman’s victims, she added, “Why would you do that to people?”

A family member of one of his victims saw the ad and condemned the stunt.

Tim Hill commented on Twitter: “As someone whose relative was murdered by Harold Shipman, your latest ad using his image is despicable and unacceptable. I hope you enjoy another judgment from ASA and change your practices.’

DeadHappy, which bills itself as a “disruptive life insurance company,” has defended the stunt, though the ad appeared not to have been posted on its official social media channels, including its Facebook page.

Andy Knott, founder of DeadHappy, said: “It’s not why we exist. There are 8.5 million adults in the UK who may need (or hopefully want) life insurance coverage but currently have no coverage.

“The industry calls this ‘the protection gap’ and the unfortunate reality is that it is growing every day.

“We’re not just disrupting, we’re just trying to make better products to fill the gap. We’re DeadHappy and our tagline is “Life Insurance to Die For,” so we’re aware of the provocative (and, to some, very shocking) nature of our brand.

“But being provocative is different from being offensive and of course it is never our intention to offend or upset people. It is our intention to make people think. However, if you were personally disturbed by this ad, we sincerely apologize.’

He added: “Death is still a taboo subject in our society, which is why we are so passionate about ‘changing attitudes towards death’.”

“We take risks with our brand and sometimes cross the line, whatever or wherever that line may be and whoever is pulling it.”

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