Scottish nurse Colin Norris was jailed for life today for the murder of four patients and was told he would serve a minimum of 30 years.
Norris (32), from Glasgow, killed the women in 2002 by giving them massive doses of insulin while working at two Leeds hospitals.
He was convicted at Newcastle Crown Court of four counts of murder and one attempted murder yesterday following a lengthy trial.
Police described Norris as "extremely arrogant" and said he showed no remorse for killing Doris Ludlam (80), Bridget Bourke (88), Irene Crookes (79), and Ethel Hall (86) while he worked at the Leeds General Infirmary and the city's St James's Hospital.
He also tried to kill Vera Wilby (90), but she survived the coma which followed the unnecessary insulin injection.
Police began an investigation after Dr Emma Ward noticed in November 2002 that Mrs Hall had slipped into a hypoglycaemic coma despite not being a diabetic. Blood tests showed she had insulin levels 12 times the norm, and she died three weeks later.
Detectives looked at other deaths on the wards from comas when Norris was working and found that by the time Dr Ward raised her concerns, he had already killed three times, and failed with one attempt.
They said only the vigilance of Dr Ward prevented his six-month murder spree from continuing.
PA