Patient ‘put life in hands’ of surgeon now on trial Woman underwent ‘unnecessary’ operation, court is told
AWOMAN was told by a Midland breast surgeon she was at “high risk” of cancer unless she had an operation to remove a “sinister” lump, a court has heard.
Rachel Butler told jurors at Nottingham Crown Court this week that she put her life in the hands of surgeon Ian Paterson, saying: “He was the specialist.”
She later had surgery known as a Hadfield Procedure to remove the ducts from her left breast in January 2011, which prosecutors have alleged was unnecessary.
Paterson was formerly employed by Heart of England NHS Trust and practised at Spire Healthcare.
He denies 20 counts of wounding with intent, relating to procedures carried out between 1997 and 2011.
Mrs Butler described Paterson as “one of the loveliest people I’ve ever met” when, aged 30, she first had a consultation ahead of the removal of a suspected cyst in 2005.
But in 2011, she was having problems in the same area, describing a “painful” white lump reappearing.
Recalling a consultation before a second removal operation, she said: “I remember him saying the ducts would get lumps which could be quite sinister, quite nasty, so he said that the best thing to do would be to have the Hadfield Procedure.”
Asked by Julian Christopher QC, for the Crown, if she was offered alternatives to surgery by Paterson, she replied: “No.”
The barrister added: “What did you think would happen if you didn’t have the operation?” She replied: “That I was going to get cancer.”
Medical complications then resulted from the operation at Spire Little Aston Hospital on January 24, 2011.
Under cross examination, Paterson’s barrister Nicholas Johnson QC asked if she was mistaken about her recollection of what Paterson had told her. She replied: “All I was told was it [the lump] looked very sinister and it needed to come out. That was in conversation with Mr Paterson.”
Ms Butler added: “I had put my life in his hands. He was the specialist.”
Paterson’s barrister asked if she was also mistaken about having been told she was at “high risk” of cancer. She replied: “Yes he did. He told me I was high risk.”
Giving expert evidence, consultant breast cancer surgeon Ian Monypenny said, in his view, such biopsies in Ms Perks’ case were “random” and would “absolutely not” have been received medical best practice.
Then when asked by the Crown’s barrister if Ms Perks had had breast cancer, on the evidence, Mr Monypenny replied: “No”.
Paterson, 59, of Altrincham, Greater Manchester, is expected to claim none of the operations he carried out were unnecessary when his defence begins. (Proceeding)