How did a British doctor suspected of killing 163 people walk away from The Old Bailey a free man?
Bodkin Adams was a wealthy Eastbourne GP who, between 1946 and 1956, was named as a beneficiary in 131 patient wills - inheriting everything from cash and furniture to two Rolls-Royce cars.
Modern historians believe Bodkin Adams may have killed as many as 250 patients, rivalling even Harold Shipman's estimated victim count.
Listen to The Psychology of a Serial Killer below or by clicking here.
Once his patients agreed to write him into their wills, Bodkin Adams would proscribe them grossly excessive amounts of opiates until they eventually succumbed to overdose.
Despite police linking 163 suspicious deaths to his practice, the courts were never able to secure a conviction against him.
A murder charge was brought against Bodkin Adams after the death of an elderly patient in 1956.
What followed was Britain's longest-running murder trial to that date, taking place at The Old Bailey.
Dr Harry Brünjes, a police surgeon, and Dr Andrew Johns, a forensic psychiatrist, examine the evidence and explain why the prosecution's case failed - despite Bodkin Adams' own lawyers calling him 'pig-headed and dishonest'.
The Trial of 'Britain's first medical murderer'
Edith Morrell, a patient of Bodkin Adams, died after being given huge doses of morphine and heroin.
In her will, Morrell had left Bodkin Adams a large sum of money, a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost and several pieces of expensive furniture.
On top of this, friends and staff of Morrell testified that the socialite wasn't in any pain, so there was no medical reason for the doctor to prescribe her opiates.
On the eve of the trial, Bodkin Adams looked dead to rights, as Dr Brünjes explained.
He said: 'The lead medical expert for the prosecution told the court the clear and only intention of Bodkin Adams was to terminate life.
'The most damning evidence came from the nurses who were looking after Edith Morrell.
'They recalled administering drugs but then stated Bodkin Adams also gave frequent further injections, which he took from his own doctor's bag.'
The defence uncovered the nurse's logbooks, which appeared to contradict the nurses' testimony.
There was no record of these additional injections given to Morrell and the defence relentlessly exploited this inconsistency in the prosecution's case.
The prosecution's case was further undermined when a civil servant testified he had overheard three of the nurses gossiping about the case on a train - raising serious questions about their credibility.
Bodkin Adams himself was never called to the stand. His defence lawyer would later reveal over lunch at the Savoy that this was because he considered the doctor 'dishonest, loquacious, pig-headed and a risk'.
In the end, it took just 44 minutes for the jury to deliver a shocking not guilty verdict after what had been Britain's longest murder trial to date.
'Adams famously stumbled from court with tears running down his face', Dr Harry Brujnes explained.
'He told reporters: I was never in any doubt of the verdict; I prayed to God every day.
'Questions remain: the all-important logbooks were initially listed in the files of the Director of Public Prosecutions but then disappeared.
'Did anyone know of their existence before the trial? Why was it decided they were not relevant and then disposed of? Was police procedure at fault?'
The mysteries surrounding the case remain unsolved.
Adams would die in 1983, at the age of 84, in Eastbourne. Even in his eighties, he was still receiving legacy payments from patients' wills.
To hear a dramatic retelling of the Bodkin Adams trial, search for Psychology of a Serial Killer now, wherever you get your podcasts.
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