Dr Andrew Johns, who has studied some of Britain’s most notorious murderers as a psychiatrist, identified the four types of serial killer on a new Mail podcast.
An Appointment with Murder is a true crime series which delves into the minds, methods and motivations behind medical murderers.
Medical murderers are those who pervert their positions of trust, as doctors or nurses, to prey on the public. The season opens with a study of the infamous cases of doctors Harold Shipman and John Bodkin Adams.
The podcast is hosted by Dr Harry Brünjes and Dr Andrew Johns, who trained together as medical students at Guy’s Hospital in London.
Harry spent sixteen years as a clinician and a police surgeon, whilst Andrew became one of the leading forensic psychiatrists in the UK, spending years inside the walls of Broadmoor and giving evidence in at least 100 murder trials.
Laying the groundwork for their analysis, Andrew told the brand-new podcast what psychological categories serial killers like Shipman and Bodkin Adams fall into.
The podcast is hosted by Dr Harry Brünjes (right) and Dr Andrew Johns (left), who trained together as medical students. Listen here
‘The Visionary’
Andrew explained: ‘The visionary is a person who becomes a serial killer because he is impelled to by some inner motive or belief.
‘A good example of that would be Peter Sutcliffe. The motive for his murders came from his paranoid schizophrenia – he felt impelled to kill women who he perceived as prostitutes.’
Peter Sutcliffe, known as the Yorkshire Ripper, was a serial killer who murdered 13 women and attempted to kill seven others across Yorkshire and Greater Manchester between 1975 and 1980.
He was arrested in January 1981, convicted of his crimes, and sentenced to life imprisonment, dying in prison in November 2020 at age 74.
Peter Sutcliffe, known as the Yorkshire Ripper, was a serial killer who murdered 13 women across Yorkshire and Greater Manchester between 1975 and 1980
Sutcliffe was arrested in January 1981, convicted of his crimes, and sentenced to life imprisonment, dying in prison in November 2020 at age 74
Dr Andrew Johns: ‘The motive for Sutcliffe’s murders came from his paranoid schizophrenia – he felt impelled to kill women who he perceived as prostitutes.’ Listen here
‘The Hedonist’
‘The hedonist is defined as someone who kills for pleasure’, Andrew described.
‘An example of this type of serial killer would be Fred West. With his wife Rose, he tortured, over a long period of time, twelve female victims.
‘He enjoyed watching them die and then dismembered and buried their bodies in the garden.’
Fred West was a serial killer who, along with his wife Rose West, murdered at least 12 young women and girls between 1967 and 1987, burying many of the victims at their home in Gloucester, England.
He was arrested in 1994 but died by suicide in his prison cell on January 1, 1995, before he could stand trial, while Rose West was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Fred West was a serial killer who, along with his wife Rose West, murdered at least 12 young women and girls between 1967 and 1987
Dr Andrew Johns: ‘The hedonist is defined as someone who kills for pleasure – an example of this type of serial killer would be Fred West.’ Listen here
Fred West was arrested in 1994 but died by suicide in his prison cell on January 1, 1995, before he could stand trial
‘The Controller’
The controller is a murderer who relishes lauding and exploiting their positions of power over their victims.
Looking ahead to one of the subjects of the new podcast, Andrew said: ‘We here relate to Bodkin Adams.
‘Bodkin Adams was suspected of having killed over 150 people. He enjoyed manipulating his relationship with the elderly. He proscribed large doses of medication to them and made elderly ladies’ dependant on him.
‘We know that many gave him bequests in their wills.’
John Bodkin Adams was a GP who became the subject of one of the most famous murder trials in 1950s England, accused of killing elderly patients for financial gain through their wills.
He was acquitted of murder in 1957 but was later convicted of prescription fraud and other offenses, with modern analysis suggesting he may have been responsible for the deaths of over 160 patients during his medical career.
John Bodkin Adams was a GP who became the subject of one of the most famous murder trials in 1950s England
Modern analysis suggests Bodkin Adams may have been responsible for the deaths of over 160 patients
‘The Mission Orientated’
The mission orientated killer is a murderer who commits their heinous acts with a clear goal in mind.
‘We here turn to Harold Shipman’, Andrew said.
‘He may have killed as many 450 people. There was no sign of mental illness. His motive, as far as we can conjecture, was he felt himself on a mission to – cruel words I know – get rid of elderly people when he perceived their time had dome.’
Like Bodkin Adams, Shipman was also a general practitioner who became one of the most prolific serial killers in recorded history.
He was convicted in 2000 of murdering 15 patients with lethal injections of diamorphine.
A public inquiry later found he was responsible for approximately 250 deaths over his career, making him Britain’s most notorious medical serial killer before he died by suicide in prison in 2004.
Dr Andrew Johns: ‘Shipman may have killed as many 450 people. There was no sign of mental illness.’ Listen here
The mission orientated killer is a murderer who commits their heinous acts with a clear goal in mind, Dr Andrew Johns told the podcast. Listen here
A public inquiry later found Shipman was responsible for approximately 250 deaths over his career, making him Britain’s most notorious medical serial killer
For more expert analysis of the macabre, search for An Appointment With Murder – available wherever you get your podcasts now. New episodes released every Wednesday.
Can’t wait? Subscribe to The Crime Desk to listen to the whole first season ad-free now.
An Appointment with Murder will look at poisoners and predators from Victorian times to today, investigating the common thread that runs between these killers hiding behind medical titles. Follow on your favourite podcast platform to never miss an episode.
