Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Elizabeth Wettlaufer, arrested in October last year, was described as a "shadow of death"

A former Canadian nurse who is serving a life term for killing eight elderly patients has had her nursing licence officially revoked.

The College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) on Tuesday found Elizabeth Wettlaufer, 50, guilty of professional misconduct.

In June, Wettlaufer admitted to using insulin to kill eight patients in two Ontario senior care homes.

The CNO investigation into Wettlaufer's actions was put on hold until her criminal trial was over.

The five-person disciplinary committee called her actions "a violation of public trust in the most horrific way possible".

Panel chair Grace Fox called the case "the most egregious and disgraceful conduct this panel has ever considered".

The CNO has faced criticism for failing to take action against Wettlaufer after she was fired from one care home in 2014 for a medication error.

Her murder victims were five women and three men and all were residents of Caressant Care in Woodstock and Meadow Park in London, Ontario.

They were between the ages 75 and 96 and were killed between 2007 and 2014.

Police launched an investigation into the nursing home deaths in September.

Wettlaufer resigned from the CNO a day after that. She was arrested in October on charges of first degree murder.

She was also eventually found guilty of four counts of attempted murder and two counts of aggravated assault of her patients.

In June, the Ontario government launched a formal public inquiry into the circumstances around the murders amid concerns about oversight systems in long-term care in the province.

Relatives of two of Wettlaufer's victims have also launched lawsuits against the ex-nurse and the two care homes where she worked.