Social media adverts for life insurance that featured images of killer GP Harold Shipman caused 'serious and widespread offence and unjustified distress', a watchdog has ruled. Paid-for ads for DeadHappy, a life insurance firm based in Leicester, ran on Facebook and Instagram last month.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) - the UK's independent regulator of advertising across all media - has now revealed it received 115 complaints after the Manchester Evening News told how a relative of one of Shipman's victims branded the ads 'despicable and unacceptable'.
The ASA said the complainants 'challenged whether the ads irresponsibly caused serious and widespread offence and unjustified distress' and in a published ruling after an investigation, confirmed today their complaints have been upheld.
