Court told of unnecessary breast surgery
A WOMAN borrowed cash from her parents to pay for an unnecessary breast operation after being wrongly told by a Scottish surgeon she was at risk from cancer, a court has heard.
Consultant breast cancer surgeon Dr Ian Paterson is accused of telling Leanne Joseph, 25, due to his operation to remove her milk ducts she would be unable to breastfeed. Mrs Joseph told a jury yesterday Dr Paterson advised to her to have the surgery after she was treated by him in October 2006.
She went to Dr Paterson after noticing a discharge from her left breast and was told scans revealed she had pre-cancerous cells. Nottingham Crown Court heard later scans found that no such abnormalities were present.
Dr Paterson is charged with performing dozens of unnecessary operations, including mastectomies, to earn more and bolster his reputation.
All charges relate to Dr Paterson’s private practice at Spire Healthcare hospitals in Parkway, Solihull and Little Aston in the West Midlands.
Giving evidence via videolink, Mrs Joseph said: “He said he had my ultrasound results and he told me I had pre-cancerous cells in my milk ducts. He just said that I would need an operation to have them removed and he could do it two days later. I was quite shocked.”
Dr Paterson denies 20 counts of unlawfully and maliciously wounding 10 patients between 1997 and 2011. The trial continues. A CAPTION to a picture in yesterday’s story about a Viking hoard incorrectly stated Gus Patterson had been involved in its discovery.
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