163 of his patients died, but this doctor was still acquitted of murder

‘The rigorous standards of the law sometimes allow that the guilty walk free.’ Those were the words of Lord Justice Patrick Devlin after the trial of Doctor John Bodkin Adams came to a close in 1957.

A huge number of patients had died unexpectedly while under his care, the majority of whom were wealthy women. Many had altered their wills to add Adams’ name to the list of beneficiaries. 

Yet despite suspicious relatives raising the alarm, the doctor was ultimately acquitted of his crimes and continued to live and work in East Sussex, England.

It’s been decades since Adams’ trial, but the case is still heavily debated. In some ways, the jury is still out.

‘It’s a bit of a contentious one locally,’ Joel Griggs, curator of the True Crime Museum in Hastings, Sussex, tells Metro. 

‘We have people come in the museum and say “oh, he was the scum of the earth.” Then others say “oh, he added five years to my grandmother’s life.” I do talks in care homes and it’s always a similar divide there. I ask if people know him and some do and think highly of him, while others are quite angry. They’ll say things like “he’s a bloody thieving bastard.” 

‘The truth about Adams’ character probably lies somewhere down the middle.’

The charming doctor with the rosy cheeks

Doctor Adams was born in Randalstown in 1899, a town 22 miles away from Belfast in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. His father Samuel was a Plymouth Brethren preacher while his mother Ellen stayed at home. Adams later moved to Coleraine, Derry, and then studied at Queen’s University, Belfast, before he moved to Sussex to work.

After setting up a private practice at Kent Lodge in Eastbourne, he was known to attend patients at all times of day and night – which soon brought him closer to high-ranking members of society, many of whom wouldn’t be home from work in London until late evening.

The GP treated the likes of the Duke of Devonshire, Edward Cavendish, a former minister in the UK’s wartime government and wealthy businessman Sir Alexander Maguire. He also worked closely with Reverend Hubert Brasier – the father of former Prime Minister Theresa May – who was Chaplain All Saints at Eastbourne Hospital in Sussex. 

‘People who met Adams say he had the gift of the gab,’ Joel explains. ‘He was a very charming Irishman. There’s photos of him with a bonnie soft face and these rosy cheeks. A former secretary of Adams donated needles, medical books and a sterilizing tray to our museum. According to her, Adam’s GP surgery was a very nice place, a red brick building in a pretty genteel area.’

Although his practice may have been humble, the doctor’s lifestyle was anything but, and as Adams’ wealth mysteriously grew, he could often be spotted across East Sussex in a chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce. 

‘Adams was rich, but he was also very thrifty,’ Joel adds. ‘Apparently, if he asked to borrow your pen it was unlikely you’d get it back. Adams also would pocket any nice glasses he could find. We’ve got one very interesting item from his clinic; a leather bag gifted by one of his patients. It’s monogrammed with the initials ‘JBA’ and was bought from Hatton Gardens – the diamond district of London. The latch went on it at some point and Adams was such a skinflint that he refused to get it fixed. Instead, he used an old trouser belt which says ‘souvenir of Tenerife’ to use as a strap.’

A series of mysterious deaths

‘Adams would give people opioids and painkillers and sit for hours at their bedside,’ Joel continues. ‘They would be encouraged by Adams to change their wills in his favour [newspapers at the time reported.] His roster of patients were almost exclusively dying widows by this point, which tells you all you need to know.’

Between 1946 and 1956, at least 163 of Adams’ patients died while in comas. What’s more, 132 had left the GP money or items in their wills.

On July 23, 1956, respected musician Leslie Henson called Eastbourne Police to raise concerns about the death of his friend Gertrude Hullett, who had died while being treated by Adams.

Detectives began to research the Irish doctor’s patients and build a strong case which, they hoped, would mean the GP could be found guilty of at court.

Adams was finally arrested on December 19 1956, over the death of Edith Morrell, who had left him an expensive box of Georgian silver cutlery and a Rolls Royce in her will. 

The 81-year-old had died at her home in Eastbourne six years earlier, but her family were convinced the doctor had given her a lethal dose of drugs. 

Along with her murder, police also charged Adams, who was 58 at the time, with the death of Gertrude Hullett, but this case was later dropped.

‘It was hard to prove’

Dr John Bodkin Adams stood trial at the Old Bailey in 1957. The prosecution argued that ‘massive quantities’ of pain-killers were given to Morrell during her recovery from a stroke. She fell into a coma and the court was told Adams didn’t like to have a nurse in the same room as him whenever he treated Morrell.

The doctor spoke just six words – ‘I am not guilty, my lord’ – during the proceedings. 

Previous statements were brought to light by Detective Superintendent Herbert Hannam, the man who had arrested Adams in 1956. Giving evidence on the sixth day of the trial, he recalled that when he charged Adams with murder, the doctor allegedly replied: ‘Murder? Can you prove it was murder? I didn’t think you could prove murder. She was dying in any event.’

Adams, according to Hannam, also told police that the extravagant gifts from patients had been taken instead of payment for treatment.

To the disappointment of Edith Morrell’s family, Adams was ultimately acquitted of her death. On April 9, 1957, the jury took just 44 minutes to find him not guilty. 

‘There was little evidence,’ Joel sighs. ‘They dug up some bodies and found traces of morphine, but it was hard to prove how much had been administered. 

‘I think he “got away with it” due to his connections. Adams essentially had told police “she [Edith] was dying anyway, how could it be murder.’ That should have been the noose around his neck. He’d taken the Hippocratic Oath [an oath of ethics historically taken by physicians and doctors] to preserve life and to not harm and broken it.’

It was after Adams was acquitted of murder, the presiding judge, Lord Justice Patrick Devlin, remarked: “The rigorous standards of the law sometimes allow that the guilty walk free”.

How did John Bodkin Adams die?

Adams died on July 4, 1983 after years of further scandal and mistrust.

In 1975, he’d been struck off as a doctor by the General Medical Council after falsifying NHS prescriptions.

While clay pigeon shooting in the historic town of Battle in East Sussex, Adams leg slipped down a rabbit hole and he badly injured his hip. He died of heart failure in hospital on July 4, 1983.

What is the legacy of the case?

In 1986, Timothy West starred in docudrama ‘The Good Doctor Bodkin Adams’ about the accusations and trial Adams faced. 

Former GP Dr Harry Brünjes and forensic psychiatrist Dr Andrew Johns also came together in 2015 to create the play ‘Dial Medicine for Murder’ based on the notorious doctor. The show still tours today.

For some true crime fans, the Adams case draws parallels with Dr Harold Shipman, the GP convicted in 2000 of murdering 15 patients. The father of four had been a respected member of the community, even appearing on a TV documentary in 1983 discussing treatment of mental health conditions, until he was convicted of killing 15 women – although it is suspected he in fact targeted hundreds.

‘Some people compare Adams to Harold Shipman, but there’s a very strong difference,’ Joel says. 

‘There is the similarity that they were both GPs who killed a large number of people. But there’s a difference between someone who kills for money and someone who kills for psychological, sexual or emotional gratification. Harold Shipman and killers like Peter Sutcliffe, the Wests and the Moors Murderers all fit into that latter category. But Bodkin Adams doesn’t. He was allegedly killing for financial gain. I think that makes him a little easier to understand.’

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