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The Surgeon Of St Helena

Always True Crime

20 episodes · in order · Explicit

What happens when a dangerous surgeon arrives on one of the world’s most remote islands? How much damage can he do before he is stopped?

More about the show

St Helena is a small British island in the South Atlantic, over 1000 miles from the nearest landmass. It is famous for hosting Napoleon in exile, and boasts the world's oldest living land animal, Jonathan the tortoise, as one of its residents.

But this tiny British Overseas Territory has been gripped with scandal. When orthopedic surgeon Dr Sergio Villatoro Bran arrived in 2015 he was supposed to revolutionise care on the island. Instead he caused unimaginable harm.

Was it incompetence?

Or was he deliberately causing harm?

And is the government of St Helena trying to block the residents' fight for justice?

Following on from the critically acclaimed The Pitcairn Trials, Luke Jones investigates another scandal unfolding in one of Britain’s most isolated territories

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Episodes

  1. Introducing: The Pitcairn Trials

    · 1:41 · Trailer · Explicit

    Halfway between Peru and New Zealand is a tiny volcanic island, a little known British Territory. The community of Pitcairn is home to 37 people and a terrifying scandal. In The Pitcairn Trials, British Journalist Luke…

  2. Paradise, Lost

    · 27 min · S1 E1 · Explicit

    In Kent, UK, Police Officer Peter George is asked to investigate an alleged serious crime: the rape of a child. The crime is not in England but on the remote Pacific Island of Pitcairn, and what Peter and his colleague…

  3. Up the Hill of Difficulty

    · 33 min · S1 E2 · Explicit

    Kent WPC Gail Cox is chosen as the woman to bring law to Pitcairn. She sets off to Pitcairn to teach the locals how to Police themselves. At a drunken Pitcairn party, one evening, another girl makes an allegation of…

  4. Have you Ever Wanted to Disappear?

    · 36 min · S1 E3 · Explicit

    What is the history of the Island of Pitcairn, its myths and realities? Born from the 1789 Mutiny, the mutineers, led by Fletcher Christian stumble across Pitcairn. Handily wrongly located on maps, this is their…

  5. Glenda, A Survivor’s Story

    · 34 min · S1 E4 · Explicit

    Luke Jones meets Glenda at her home, in the UK. Glenda grew up on Pitcairn but now lives in the UK. She was abused growing up but told no one, until she was contacted by Kent Police during Operation Unique. This is the…

  6. Order, Order

    · 34 min · S1 E5 · Explicit

    Despite immense pressure to withdraw their testimony, key witnesses for the prosecution are secured. A campaign to undermine the victims to withdraw from the trial begins, led by Pitcairn women. Hosted on Acast. See…

  7. White Wigs and Red Dirt

    · 34 min · S1 E6 · Explicit

    Judges, lawyers and a press pack make the long journey to Pitcairn and the trials begin. Journalists are summoned to a meeting of all the women on the Island at Big Fence as they argue that their men are innocent, and…

  8. Taking a Stand

    · 34 min · S1 E7 · Explicit

    Glenda takes the stand. Through interviews and court transcripts, we examine the Defence team’s arguments, and the legal debates that surrounded them. Glenda and police officer Peter George wait for the verdict in the…

  9. The Aftermath

    · 40 min · S1 E8 · Explicit

    The Guilty men of Pitcairn received remarkably short prison sentences. Some on the island, sent to the luxury jail they helped to build. Some received community service, with time off to help with the island’s harvest…

  10. Your Questions Answered

    · 33 min · S1 E9 · Bonus · Explicit

    Luke Jones takes you behind The Pitcairn Trials, to answer some of your most-asked questions. We hear how he navigated interviewing Glenda, who grew up on Pitcairn and experienced abuse there, how he found his way…

  11. An update from the creators of The Pitcairn Trials

    · 24 min · Bonus

    A brand new investigative series from the creators of The Pitcairn Trials is on the way! Luke Jones shares an exclusive update of what to expect and introduces an episode of his must listen new show. Click here to get…

  12. Introducing: The Surgeon Of St Helena

    · 2:22 · Trailer

    What happens when a dangerous surgeon arrives on one of the world’s most remote islands? How much damage can he do before he is stopped? St Helena is a small British island in the South Atlantic, over 1000 miles from…

  13. The Bone Man

    · 31 min · S2 E1 · Explicit

    After the release of The Pitcairn Trials, Luke received emails about another British Overseas Territory - St Helena. They told a shocking story of medical negligence, criminality and social divide. Luke meets retired…

  14. Good Company

    · 28 min · S2 E2 · Explicit

    Dr Sergio Villatoro Bran was arrested, but someone seemed intent on helping him get off the island. Meanwhile, Bernard and Sandra started speaking to Sergio’s patients, and a troubling pattern emerged. Why would some…

  15. Driftwood

    · 26 min · S2 E3 · Explicit

    Could Dr Sergio be part of a bigger picture? Why are some of the doctors who came before him on the island also dogged by horrible stories of malpractice? Luke hears the story of two women on St Helena who suffered…

  16. Landing

    · 27 min · S2 E4 · Explicit

    Luke plans to travel to St Helena to meet Dr Sergio Villatoro Bran’s victims, but unexpectedly the airport closes. Leaving the population of the island stranded. He takes us back to 2023, when the criminal charges…

  17. Courtroom Drama

    · 31 min · S2 E5 · Explicit

    Solicitor Ruth travelled to the island to see Sergio sentenced, but nothing went the way she expected. Luke meets The Peters, one of the families Ruth is representing on St Helena, and learns of the profound impact Dr…

  18. Lawfare

    · 33 min · S2 E6 · Explicit

    Luke is on the island, but getting a meeting with those in charge is proving almost impossible. With Ruth, he digs into how the bureaucracy of St Helena works, and why it appears the government is trying to block…

  19. Hostile

    · 29 min · S2 E7 · Explicit

    Back in the UK, Ruth and co take their fight against the St Helena government to court. But there is another twist. Luke also tries to find out where Dr Sergio is now. Got questions for Luke? Email…

  20. What Next?

    · 42 min · S2 E8 · Explicit

    Following the release of The Surgeon of St Helena, Luke has updates. Producer Louisa Adams joins him in the studio to ask some of your questions. This episode is also available as video - to watch, and see some of the…

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