On one occasion he told the husband of a woman on whom he had just performed a hysterectomy that he the

On one occasion he told the husband of a woman on whom he had just performed a hysterectomy that he (the husband) should be grateful because he (Mr Ledward) had sewn her up “like a 16-year-old”.However, the difficulty presented by the private relationship between doctor and patient was illustrated yesterday when the General Medical Council cleared a psychiatrist accused of behaving indecently to a15-year- old girl who had been a victim of sex abuse. Dr Anthony Baker, 50, who specialises in treating child sex abuse, denied charges of serious professional misconduct and having developed an “improper emotional relationship” with the teenager.The GMC is required to prove charges “beyond reasonable doubt”, and the Professional Conduct Committee decided that that standard was not met in this case, where there was only the patient’s word against the doctor’s.A dentist, James Aukett, is accused of putting a female assistant across his knee and spanking her in a case being heard by the General Dental Council Mr Aukett denies the charge. A clinical psychologist in Liverpool, Peter Slade, was found guilty of a series of sex assaults but in a controversial decision the British Psychological Society decided not to erase him from the register. Mr Slade had a drink problem and difficulties in his personal life and the BPS justified its action on compassionate grounds, despite the traumatic impact on his victims.Francis Blunden, director of Popan, the charity for victims of professional abuse, said: “Far more abuse goes on than ever comes to the surface. A lot of it happens in private and there is no other corroborative evidence. A lot of people come to us but there is very little they can do, and the emotional cost to them of going through with a complaint is too painful.”Popan received 430 complaints of abuse in the first six months of this year, more than in the whole of last year.

A study of clinical psychologists in Britain published in The Psychologist journal this year found 4 per cent admitted having had sexual contact with clients.Jean Robinson, a former member of the GMC and an adviser to Popan, said professional men who preyed on female patients were often serial sex abusers “They have highly developed manipulative skills. They know exactly which victims to pick and they are charming and charismatic, skills which also help them in their career …”The victims often can’t believe it has happened and wonder whether the doctor is supposed to do this. They are embarrassed and ashamed and blame themselves.” She said it was crucial for women to speak out to alert others.Claire Rayner, chairman of the Patients’ Association, said the National Health Service had one million employees and they could not all be angels of mercy.”What is most upsetting is the delays before a problem is exposed. When you hear about a doctor who has been groping women for years you wonder how it can have gone on.

But the more that comes out the safer we are going to feel,” she said.. THE WAR of words between The Mirror newspaper and the Prince of Wales’s office heated up yesterday with the editor of The Mirror threatening to expose how St James’ Palace leaks stories and the palace complaining to the Press Complaints Commission. The source of friction is a front-page article in Thursday’s Mirror which reported that Prince Harry had been injured playing rugby at Eton. The newspaper reproduced a letter from a St James’ Palace aide refusing permission for the newspaper to report exactly what had happened. The Mirror reproduced the letter with the details of the injury blacked-out.
Prince Charles’s office is angry at the report and complained to the PCC under clause 6 of the commission’s code of conduct, which prohibits reporting of children without parental permission.The complaint is the latest in a series of efforts by the palace to clamp down on the reporting of the two princes.

The Mail on Sunday apologised after it ran a birthday supplement about Prince William that attributed thoughts and opinions to the prince. The palace was also upset by stories about Prince Harry getting a short haircut.St James’ Palace issued a statement yesterday: “The Prince of Wales is deeply disappointed by the reaction of the editor of the Daily Mirror to the simple and straightforward appeal for Prince Harry to be allowed privacy at school. This is not a matter of press freedom, but about the ability of the Princes to grow up without intrusion.”However, The Mirror was refusing to apologise, claiming that the palace was being inconsistent. “We are not going to back down,” said Piers Morgan, the editor. “In the first place it is a legitimate story to report on the health of an heir to the throne.”In fact, I was given the story about Harry’s arm by a member of Charles’s staff. If they keep going for us I shall have to start revealing where we get some of our stories that paint them in a favourable light.”And they have complained about us, for not running the story and have done nothing about the Daily Star which ran the story in full. In fact, a St James’ Palace official told me there would have been no complaint if we had run the story on an inside page .. It’s a joke …