The Surgeon Of St Helena

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 hospital staff not speak to them? And would they be able to help the victims?

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An Always True Crime Production for Audio Always.

This series contains graphic descriptions of medical trauma.
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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 Met police officers Bernard and Sandra, to hear why they were summoned to this remote island in the South Atlantic at the height of Covid. It was all to investigate one man…an orthopaedic surgeon called Dr Sergio Villatoro Bran.

To listen to new episodes early and ad free, subscribe now on Patreon at patreon/alwaystruecrime.com

The Surgeon of St Helena is an Always True Crime Production for Audio Always.

This series contains graphic descriptions of medical trauma.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 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.

First episodes arrive June 28th 2026, hit follow so you don't miss this show.
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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 to more episodes of Strangely and uncover the world's oddest, most fascinating stories. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 through a maze of official legal documents and whether he would ever visit Pitcairn himself. Luke reveals the unanswered questions he still has from the series, and the areas he’d like to explore further. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.