A MEN'S magazine has caused outrage among the families of Harold Shipman's victims by turning the killer GP's crimes into a parlour game.

In an article entitled Is Your Doctor Dr Shipman? the magazine asks readers to take part in a quiz to discover whether their GP is "trying to kill you, bore you or just perfect the beat?"

The game appeared in Wednesday's inaugural issue of Zoo Weekly, the new men's magazine, and was designed merely to "mock Shipman himself" according to the magazine's editor, Paul Merrill.

Devastated

But relatives of victims of the Hyde doctor - found hanged in his prison cell last week - are said to be angered and upset by the "insensitive" nature of the article.

As manager of the victim support and witness service in Tameside, Helen Ogborn was responsible for providing moral and emotional support to the hundreds of families left devastated in the wake of Shipman's arrest.

She said: "I speak for all the families when I say we are deeply disturbed by the insensitive and callous nature of the article.

"Many families are still trying to come to terms with their loss and news of Shipman's apparent suicide and will be horrified by this blatant disregard for their feelings. We can't believe that anybody would be so senseless."

In the article, readers are asked to choose between a variety of "yes" and "no" options, many of which are clear references to Shipman's sick killing spree and subsequent death.

In one instance, readers are asked, "has your doctor asked to check your will for "mistakes" recently?", a reference to Shipman's failed attempt to forge the will of victim Kathleen Grundy.

Another reads, "does your doctor have a noose around his neck and blood in his slack mouth? a reference to the GP's apparent suicide at Wakefield Prison a week last Tuesday.

The quiz then asks, "does your doctor regularly prescribe you loads of morphine saying `just trust me'?" in reference to the drug Shipman used to kill his patients via lethal injection.

Readers are also asked, "Has your doctor ever been given 15 life sentences plus four years for forgery?", mocking Shipman's life imprisonment for the murder of 15 patients in his care.

Having completed the quiz, readers discover to whom their own GP bears the most resemblance:

Dr Fox, the DJ and TV Pop Idol judge, who "nobody listens to. Ask for a new doctor, now"; or Dr Shipman, whose caption reads: "Your doctor is the UK's worst serial killer. But you'll be OK. He's dead now."

Mr Merrill said: "We are obviously very sorry if we have offended anyone, that was clearly not our intention.

"The piece was meant to reflect the euphoria many people felt over his suicide, as demonstrated by the Sun's Ship Ship hooray headline. It was designed to mock Shipman himself, not his victims."

A spokesperson for the magazine's publisher, Emap said Mr Merrill had full editorial control and that it was his decision what he published.

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