The Doctor Who Butchered Hundreds of Women / Rodney Ledward
They Walk Among Us - UK True Crime
They Walk Among Us
4.5 • 6.8K Ratings
🗓️ 15 April 2026
⏱️ 73 minutes
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Summary
NHS negligence. Private healthcare failures. Hundreds of victims. Sixteen years of silence. Dr Rodney Ledward was a consultant gynaecologist and obstetrician working across NHS and private hospitals in Kent from 1980. He was charming, flamboyant, and considered a breath of fresh air by his peers. He was also leaving a trail of devastation…
*** LISTENER CAUTION IS ADVISED ***
This episode was researched and written by Eileen Macfarlane.
Script editing, additional writing, illustrations and production direction by Rosanna Fitton.
Audio editing by Joel Porter at Dot Dot Dot Productions.
Narration, additional audio editing and mixing, and script editing by Benjamin Fitton.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This episode contains distressing themes and descriptions of sexual violence. |
| 0:12.5 | This podcast is intended for a mature audience. |
| 0:17.0 | Listener caution is advised. |
| 0:22.8 | The doctor made an excellent first impression on most people who encountered him. |
| 0:28.9 | His youth made him stand out among his older colleagues, as did his fashion sense. |
| 0:34.8 | A carnation was often tucked neatly into the buttonhole of his pinstripe suit. To the public, |
| 0:41.6 | he was celebrated as a talented surgeon. Those who knew better said nothing. They were too |
| 0:48.1 | embedded in the culture of Dr. Knows Best. When I was in hospital, which was in 1984, the nurses called him a butcher. |
| 0:56.8 | One nurse said she wouldn't let him pierce her ears. |
| 0:59.4 | And they said it was an appalling. |
| 1:01.4 | And they said I was the most desperately ill person they'd ever see, survive, and that I should sue, |
| 1:06.3 | because it was happening every single one of his cases. |
| 1:10.6 | Welcome to Season 11, episode 14 of They Walk Among Us, |
| 1:15.5 | a podcast dedicated to UK True Crime. |
| 1:26.3 | Christine Laverty was in her 30s when she was first referred to a leading gynecologist and |
| 1:32.2 | obstetrician at St Saviour's private hospital in Hythe Kent in December 1993. |
| 1:39.8 | The mother of three had been suffering from relentless and severe period pain for over a year |
| 1:45.8 | and hoped that the renowned Dr Rodney Ledwood would be able to resolve her problems. |
| 1:52.7 | Dr. Ledwood assured Christine that her pain would lessen within weeks of having keyhole surgery. |
| 1:59.5 | However, she still experienced a great deal of discomfort for two more years. |
| 2:05.4 | In January 1996, Christine agreed to have a hysterectomy at the Bupa Runn-San-Saviers Hospital. |
| 2:14.4 | The operation typically took up to two hours to complete. |
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