Law firm says 103 patients treated privately by breast surgeon have sought advice since he was found guilty of unlawful wounding

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

More than 100 people treated by the breast surgeon Ian Paterson have come forward since his conviction for wounding patients, a law firm has said.

Described by one victim as being “like a god”, Paterson lied to patients and exaggerated or invented the risk of cancer to convince them to undergo surgery, possibly to improve his earnings.



Ian Paterson: the 'likable' breast surgeon who wounded his patients Read more

He was convicted last month of 17 counts of wounding with intent and three counts of unlawful wounding of 10 private patients.

A medical negligence specialist at Thompsons Solicitors, Linda Millband, said 103 clients treated at Spire Healthcare hospitals had sought legal advice from the firm following Paterson’s seven-week trial at Nottingham crown court. “Over the weeks we have received more and more calls from ex-private patients of Paterson,” Millband said.

The trial heard harrowing testimony from 10 patients treated privately at Spire’s Little Aston and Parkway hospitals in the West Midlands between 1997 and 2011, with one victim telling jurors: “That person has ruined my life.”

The husband of one of the patients said she looked like a “car crash victim” after undergoing an unnecessary mastectomy, while another woman was left with a “significant deformity in her visible cleavage area” after two needless operations on her left breast.



The surgeon had maintained all the operations were necessary but a jury of six men and five women agreed with the prosecution that Paterson had carried out “extensive, life-changing operations for no medically justifiable reason”.



Paterson, 59, of Altrincham, was released on conditional bail before sentencing this month.



The motives for Paterson’s offending remain unclear, with Nottingham crown court hearing it may have been to enhance his status as a top surgeon or to earn extra money.



Speaking after the case, DCS Mark Payne said: “Paterson was a controlling bully, who played God with people’s lives so he could live a luxurious lifestyle.”