The Trupti Patel Case: When "Expert" Evidence Goes Wrong

They Walk Among Us - UK True Crime

They Walk Among Us

True Crime

4.5 • 6.8K Ratings

🗓️ 11 February 2026

⏱️ 71 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Trupti Patel lost three babies to sudden infant death. Then she was accused of murdering them. In 2003, this British pharmacist stood trial at Reading Crown Court, her fate resting on testimony from Professor Sir Roy Meadow - the same expert whose flawed evidence had helped convict Sally Clark. But when Trupti's 80-year-old grandmother travelled from India to testify about five infant deaths in her own family, the case began to unravel. This episode examines the dangerous theory known as Meadow's Law, the systematic failures in investigating sudden infant deaths, and how one trial helped expose a pattern of wrongful accusations against grieving mothers…

Support: The Lullaby Trust (UK) - 0808 802 6868 | lullabytrust.org.uk

*** LISTENER CAUTION IS ADVISED *** This episode contains distressing themes, including infant death.

This episode was researched and written by Eileen Macfarlane.

Edited by Joel Porter at Dot Dot Dot Productions.

Script editing, additional writing, illustrations and production direction by Rosanna Fitton

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.
0:10.6	This podcast is intended for a mature audience.
0:15.0	Listener caution is advised.
0:19.9	The loss of a child is unimaginable, especially if their death is unexplained or sudden.
0:27.3	It is important that the circumstances surrounding each death are investigated thoroughly.
0:33.3	Still, sometimes the void left when science fails to find an answer can be filled with theories that
0:39.3	compound the tragedy.
0:41.4	There is unfortunately a group of paediatricians who sort of start off on the basis that any
0:49.8	child who's died virtually may well have been murdered by its parents.
0:55.0	Well, that's not the place to start from.
0:58.0	A great deal more care needs to be taken before a decision to prosecute is made.
1:03.0	In terms of lessons to be learned from the Sally Clark case, the main lesson was this,
1:08.0	that experts often do not know all that they think they do.
1:15.4	Welcome to Season 11, Episode 4 of They Walk Among Us, a podcast dedicated to UK True Crime. true crime.
1:36.2	Tripti was the first born child of Babubai and Madhukanta Patel.
1:42.6	The couple had moved from the Punjab region of India to Bolton, Greater Manchester in 1965, and Babu Bai worked as a driving instructor before they
1:47.5	welcomed their daughter in 1967. A few years later, Babu Bai changed careers. He bought a grocery
1:55.6	store in the town and his family moved into a flat above the business.
2:04.3	Tripti was an intelligent and studious child,
2:09.0	so it was unsurprising when she won a place at Bolton County Grammar School.
2:15.3	A deputy head teacher Peter Richardson recalled that she was a very able girl,
2:17.1	obviously very bright. Tripti's brother worked at the grocery store with
	...

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