Rogue surgeon got £216,000 legal aid despite his wealth

ROGUE surgeon Ian Paterson was awarded more than £200,000 in legal aid, despite an extensive property portfolio including a villa in Florida.

Paterson, who was jailed last year for intentionally wounding patients, received £216,500 for his defence according to the reports.

The former Solihull breast surgeon, who sold his Edgbaston grade II-listed home in George Road for £1.25 million in 2013, reportedly received £106,800 to pay his solicitor and £109,700 for his barrister.

Now the Legal Aid Agency has launched a probe into whether the 60-year-old delib- erately moved assets to qualify for the public money.

Victim Deborah Douglas, who had seven months of unnecessary chemotherapy and her gall bladder removed at the hands of Paterson, told the Post she was disgusted by the revelations.

“I think it’s an absolute outrage,” said Ms Douglas, who also chairs Solihull cancer support group Breast Friends.

“The majority of his victims got a fraction of this amount in compensation, and also had to pay solicitors costs out of this money.

“The police knew he was living this lavish lifestyle, but then he claims he can’t afford his own defence.

“Everyone knew he had houses all over the place, which he paid for by doing unnecessary operations.

“His assets came from crimes. It’s disgusting.

“The families of the Birmingham pub bombings Justice for the 21 couldn’t get legal aid, but he can. It doesn’t add up. “It’s an absolute disgrace.” Paterson, who moved to Altrincham, near Manchester, after his crimes were exposed, practised at private and NHS hospitals in the Midlands and exaggerated or invented cancer risks, claiming payments for more expensive procedures in some cases.

Paterson is currently serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted of 17 counts of wounding with intent and three counts of unlawful wounding.

He also carried out hundreds these his of botched mastectomies at Solihull Hospital. Latest figures from the NHS reveal that of the 1,207 patients that Paterson performed a mastectomy on, 709 are now dead.

Now the Legal Aid Agency is allegedly probing how the father-of-three qualified for a state-funded defence, despite owning a Florida home with his daughters valued at £107,000.

A Legal Aid Agency spokesman said: “All applications for legal aid are subject to strict assessments of an individual’s financial circumstances, including with credit check agencies and HM Land Registry.

“Anyone found to have deliberately moved assets to qualify for legal aid will be ordered to pay back the money granted.”