Jonathan King is courting controversy with a track that implies that serial killer Harold Shipman was the victim of media manipulation.
King, who claims, of course, that his 2001 paedophilia conviction was the result not of his guilt but of his celebrity status, has included a track entitled 'The True Story Of Harold Shipman' on his new album. He sings "police will inflate and the law says it's fine to accommodate tabloids with a solid headline/But a real psycho monster who's killing for fame would leave notes for acclaim to establish his name", and goes on to imply that Shipman was actually practicing euthanasia, with the lyrics "some people will sigh when they're waiting to die/Won't you please speed it up as I'm starting to cry/There's one thing he ain't and that's saviour or saint/But a pleading complaint didn't pass him by".
King has released a statement claiming that the song isn't really about Shipman, however. He writes: "It is actually not really about Harold Shipman. It's about the tendency of the media, the police and the CPS to inflate and exaggerate in order to get convictions and headlines and circulation and ratings increases". Barry Swann, the son of one of Shipman's victims, is meanwhile quoted as saying "We're talking about a convicted paedophile here. Who would want to buy this rubbish? I just can't comprehend his point of view. It's sensationalist rubbish".
The track, and a video montage featuring pictures of Shipman's victims, is currently streaming on YouTube.