Surgeon 'faked death' inquiry

Mr Ledward has allegedly been 'seen' since his 'death'

Detectives are investigating claims that a disgraced gynaecologist may have faked his own death to escape accusations that he had sexually assaulted patients.

Rodney Ledward, who moved from Kent to Mallow, near Cork, in the Irish Republic, was reported to have died of cancer of the pancreas last year.

I can confirm we will be in touch with the authorities in Ireland to seek official confirmation Dr Ledward had died

Kent Police spokeswoman

But there have since been apparent sightings of him in both Ireland and Spain and Kent.

Police say they are in touch with the Irish authorities to check the 62-year-old's death certificate.

At the time, police were investigating dozens of accusations of sexual assaults on women at Kent hospitals.

The incompetent surgeon had already been struck off by the General Medical Council for serious professional misconduct relating to 13 botched operations at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford and the private St Saviour's Hospital in Hythe between 1989 and 1996.

More than 400 women later came forward to complain about his conduct, some claiming he had sexually assaulted them.

Six husbands claimed their wives died after being treated by him.

It is a very fertile area for rumours to grow because women feel their complaints are not being dealt with

Solicitor, Sarah Harman

And on Sunday a solicitor who represented dozens of Mr Ledward's victims said reports of sightings may have come from women who feel their cases remain unresolved.

Sarah Harman, who still represents a few women with outstanding compensation claims against Mr Ledward, said: "I am not really surprised that rumours are flying around.

"It is a very fertile area for rumours to grow because women feel their complaints are not being dealt with."

"Many of them feel there was unfinished business - they could not pursue their claims against him because he had disappeared," Miss Harman told BBC News.

She added that the victims would have had a greater sense of closure had the inquiry into the affair been more open.

Mr Ledward, formerly of Saltwood, Kent, had been the subject of an independent inquiry which exposed a climate of fear and intimidation in hospitals where consultants were treated as gods.

Maimed and scarred

Just a few months before his death, a damning report was published criticising a system which allowed him to botch operations on women for 16 years.

Horrific details of women left maimed, scarred and emotionally damaged by the gynaecologist were detailed in the report.

The inquiry, headed by Jean Ritchie QC, found that concerns were raised about Mr Ledward's performance as early as 1980, just six months after he began work at the William Harvey Hospital and that even as a medical student, question marks had been raised over his attitude and ability.

But, said the report, senior managers at the hospital ignored complaints by his colleagues, of bad timekeeping, rushed ward rounds, hurried surgery and an arrogant and callous attitude to patients.

Whip

He styled himself "the fastest gynaecologist in the South East" after performing seven hysterectomies in one morning.

Some women told how he turned up at their bedsides dressed in riding gear carrying a whip and smelling of drink.

A Kent Police spokeswoman said: "I can confirm we will be in touch with the authorities in Ireland to seek official confirmation Dr Ledward had died and we will be speaking to the coroner."

But she stressed: "It is not an investigation into sightings.

"We are aware that there are allegations that he has been seen."

She would not be drawn on claims that Mr Ledward's death certificate was signed by a mortuary assistant and not a doctor.

The investigations will start in the New Year.