Surgeon given 15 years for needless breast operations
Scot shows no remorse after being branded a criminal by one of his victims
A GREEDY Scottish surgeon who was driven by his “own self-aggrandisement and material rewards” in carrying out needless mastectomy operations on patients at his private clinic has started a 15-year jail sentence.
Glasgow-born Ian Paterson, 59, was branded a “criminal” by one of his victims to applause from fellow former patients in the public gallery at Nottingham Crown Court after a trial that saw many forced to relive their ordeals.
Paterson, who has further infuriated his victims by showing no remorse for his crimes, was told by judge Jeremy Baker: “You deliberately played upon their worst fears, either by inventing or deliberately exaggerating the risk they would develop cancer, and thereby gained their trust and confidence to consent to the surgical procedures which you carried out upon them.”
It emerged last night that Paterson, who made money from the many operations he carried out while working for two private hospitals run by Spire Healthcare in the West Midlands and on the NHS, kept a cellar stocked with crates of fine wines and lined the walls of his luxury home in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, with paintings.
Detectives who charged him with 17 counts of wounding with intent, for which he was convicted, along with 10 of wounding, said he displayed an “extreme arrogance” and thought he could “play the system” after claiming he was too ill to plead. A judge later threw out his attempt to avoid a trial.
Detective Chief Inspector Caroline Marsh, of West Midlands Police, told Channel 5’s The Butcher Surgeon: “We saw a complete change in Mr Paterson’s demeanour in front of the court. He was saying he was unfit, he couldn’t concentrate, he couldn’t focus, he couldn’t give his defence instructions... right up until the point where the judge ruled he was fit.
“There was an extreme arrogance there. He really thought he could play the system to get away with what he he had done.”
Detective Sergeant Dale Robertson told the documentary: “His house was immaculately decorated throughout with paintings. I went downstairs into his wine cellar and there were crates of fine wines. His super-fine wines were under lock and key. He was somebody who did like his luxuries.”
Many of Paterson’s operations were “cleavage-sparing” mastectomies, where a significant portion of the breast is left during an operation but also raises the risk of cancer returning.
Breast surgeon Professor Phillip Drew described the action as “dangerous” and said Paterson had committed a “total abuse of position, of power”.
Barbara Lewis said nine years after such an operation by Paterson in 2003 she learned cancer had returned. She told the programme: “I was on the operating table for 20 minutes. I was just aghast. What could he have done in 20 minutes? It takes longer to fill a tooth.”
In court yesterday, victim John Ingram described Paterson as a “criminal” who has “never expressed remorse for his actions”.
He said: “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.”
Pamela Jain, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said the impact of Paterson’s actions on victims had been “devastating”.