‘When I look in the mirror I see a victim’
HERE, in moving statements to the court, just some of Ian Paterson’s victims tell of the effects of his butchery on their lives: Paterson took away part of me as a woman
PATRICIA WELCH, 64, from Walsall, West Midlands, had a lump removed from her breast by Ian Paterson in 2001 when she was 48. The surgeon told her she was a ‘ticking time bomb’.
In her victim impact statement, she said: ‘Before being told [the operations] were unnecessary, when I looked at myself in the mirror I saw someone that had avoided cancer by having a mastectomy.
‘Now and probably for the rest of my life, I see a victim of Ian Paterson, who took away part of me as a woman.’
Outside court, she added: ‘I hope there will be a public inquiry into the whole Paterson affair. I hope he enjoys himself in prison and meets some lovely people there.’
That man is a monster, he has destroyed my life
LEANNE JOSEPH, 36, from Walsall, was left ‘devastated’ after being told she could not breastfeed her baby daughter as a result of Paterson’s operations.
She said she had nightmares every time she went to sleep, adding: ‘ The man is a monster, he has destroyed my life.’
reacting to his 15-year jail sentence, she added: ‘I was hoping he would get longer than 15 years. Anyone else would have got longer. I hope it will start to draw a line under things for us.’
The things he did to me will haunt me for ever
FRANCES PERKS, 57, from Burntwood, Staffordshire, has had to sell her house because she has not worked since Paterson performed 27 unnecessary biopsies and a mastectomy on her. In her victim impact statement, she said her mental and physical scars were ‘constant reminders’ of the operations she did not need.
She added: ‘I will never have closure. What that man did will haunt me for the rest of my life. It’s more than horrendous. It’s been awful. Being told one thing for so many years, it really messes with your head.’
I will suffer the effects for the rest of my life
GP ROSEMARY PLATT, 67, from Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, was referred to Paterson after finding a lump in her right breast in 1997. The surgeon then carried out a series of unnecessary procedures, including a mastectomy.
In her victim impact statement read out in court, Dr Platt said the long-term effects of his actions were ‘painful, mutilating scars’ and he had shaken her trust in fellow medical professionals.
She added: ‘In itself, a cancer diagnosis was traumatic, living with it was difficult. Then to find the extensive surgery I had suffered was totally unnecessary was devastating.
‘I have been suffering from the effects of Ian Paterson’s malpractices to this day and will do for the rest of my life.’
I had 94 appointments in a year and lost my job
JUDITH CONDUIT, 47, from Solihull, West Midlands, had a double mastectomy in 2001, followed by 94 appointments in 12 months as a result of ‘considerable difficulties’ following the operation carried out by Paterson.
In her victim statement, she said that since finding out her surgery was unnecessary she felt ‘very aggrieved’. She described how the scarring on her back felt like an ‘elastic band that is about to snap’.
She added: ‘His actions caused me to lose my job due to the amount of time off work to attend hospital appointments.’
I can’t find it within my heart to ever forgive him
CAROLE JOHNSON, 65, from the West Midlands, went under Paterson’s knife six times in seven years, with all but the first procedure ‘entirely unnecessary’.
Describing Paterson as a ‘monster’ in her victim impact statement, she said she felt ‘violated and vulnerable’, and had ‘lost a lot of trust in medical professionals’.
Her statement read: ‘I feel part of the woman I used to be, with no confidence at all. I do not think I can find it within my heart to ever forgive him.’
She added: ‘ My world has been turned upside down. The feelings of trust were that great that I recommended my daughter to this man. His actions sicken me every time I think of it.’
He committed grotesque, violent acts against me
JOHN INGRAM, 53, from Hexham, Northumberland, had a double mastectomy after Paterson told him he had ‘pre-cancer’ following the discovery of a lump in his right breast in 2006.
He was applauded in court as he read out his victim impact statement, describing the surgeon as a ‘ criminal’ and attacking his ‘cowardly behaviour and callous attempts at avoiding any responsibility’.
Mr Ingram added: ‘He used the respectability and cloak of professionalism that came with being a consultant breast cancer surgeon to commit grotesque violent acts against me and the other victims in this trial.
‘The harm he caused me went much further than the acts of drugging, then cutting open my body and removing healthy tissue from my chest, when there was absolutely no medical need to do so.’