Richard Gladwell McGown was born on September 15, 1936, in India. His early childhood took place in Glasgow, Scotland. He pursued his education at the University of Edinburgh, where he graduated in 1959. After finishing his studies, he began working in various countries including Sweden and Zambia. Eventually, in the late 1960s, he moved to Rhodesia, now known as Zimbabwe.

In Rhodesia, McGown became known as a consultant anaesthetist. He built a career in the medical field and gained a reputation for his work. During his time there, he developed a strong interest in post-operative pain relief. This interest led him to start experimenting with new drugs and anaesthetics on his patients.

Richard Gladwell McGown was an anaesthetist who became involved in serious crimes during his medical practice in Zimbabwe. He began experimenting with drugs and anaesthetics on his patients, many of whom were underage and of African descent. Between 1986 and 1992, he conducted these experiments secretly on approximately 500 patients without their consent.

Among his known victims were two young children. Lavender Khaminwa, a 10-year-old girl, died after what was supposed to be a routine appendectomy. Kalpesh Nagindas, a two-and-a-half-year-old boy, was taken to the hospital for a circumcision. However, instead of performing the operation correctly, McGown injected morphine into the toddler’s spine, claiming it would help with pain relief. After the procedure, Kalpesh was returned to his father, but he soon became very ill. He died six hours later in the hospital.

In addition to these cases, McGown is suspected of being involved in the deaths of other patients, including a four-year-old girl and a woman of Greek descent. Nurses who worked with him raised concerns about the increasing number of deaths associated with his procedures, but these worries were initially ignored.

In 1993, a parliamentary report highlighted McGown's reckless practices, leading to a more formal investigation into his conduct. He faced charges of negligence and incompetence. Protests erupted when he was arrested, particularly among students who were outraged by his actions.

During the trial, McGown tried to justify his actions by claiming that the medication he used on adults should work for children as well. Ultimately, he was convicted of the murders of Lavender Khaminwa and Kalpesh Nagindas. Although he was charged with several deaths, these were the only two he was found guilty of murdering. He was sentenced to one year in prison but only served a fraction of that time—six months of his sentence were suspended.

After serving his time, McGown returned to the UK and attempted to appeal against his conviction. He confessed to failing in his duty to ensure his patients' safety but denied any intentional wrongdoing. Despite this, he was banned from practicing medicine anywhere globally following his conviction.