A surgeon who carried out a "Brazilian bum lift" operation on a British mother who then died described the procedure as a "guessing game", an inquest has heard.

Leah Cambridge had saved up thousands of pounds and travelled to Turkey to have the work done as she was "paranoid about her body", Wakefield Coroner's Court was told.

The 29-year-old beautician from Leeds died from a fat clot caused by the operation, which she had seen advertised on Instagram, a previous inquest hearing heard.

On Wednesday, Miss Cambridge's partner described how the surgeon who undertook the procedure appeared "nervous and scared" when they spoke a day after her death.

Scott Franks told the inquest that Dr Ali Uckan said of the operation: "It's a guessing game, you can't see where you are going into."


He said Dr Uckan's "exact words" were: "It's a matter of life and death when you are doing it."

In a statement read to the court, Dr Uckan said he had performed the procedure "in the region of a thousand times", with no complications like those suffered by Miss Cambridge, a mother-of-three.

Image: Miss Cambridge pictured with her partner Scott Franks. Pic: Facebook

Asked about his reaction to his partner's death, Mr Franks said: "You don't think it's real, and I still don't now.

"You never expect something like this to happen to yourself."

Mr Franks said Miss Cambridge had saved up the cash for the operation - which reshapes the buttocks by transferring fat from areas including the stomach and back - after he refused to pay for it.

He added that he was "not very happy" when she told him she had put down a deposit for the surgery through Elite Aftercare, a company which acts as a go-between linking clients and surgeons.

Mr Franks said he chose to stay at home and look after their children while his partner underwent the procedure.

But he said he became panicked after searching Google for information and discovering an article on fatalities resulting from the surgery.

Image: Mr Franks said he was 'not very happy' Miss Cambridge had paid for the operation. Pic: Facebook

The court heard that Mr Franks' grief was compounded when his solicitors received a letter from Elite Aftercare falsely alleging Miss Cambridge may have died after taking "illicit drugs".

Solicitors representing the company at the inquest said a toxicology report showed no trace of illegal drugs in her body and the line of inquiry was quickly dropped.

Giving evidence, Miss Cambridge's mother Theresa Hall broke down in tears as she told how they travelled to the Izmir Private Can Hospital in August last year and handed over £6,500 for the operation.

After her daughter was taken down to theatre, Miss Hall said she fell asleep and was woken by a member of staff who said there had been "a complication" during the operation and that the patient had died.

Image: Mr Franks said he was struggling to come to terms with Miss Cambridge's death. Pic: Facebook

Miss Hall told the court that "one of them put a tablet in my mouth and gave me a drink of water" which left her feeling dazed and sleepy.

Dr Lisa Barker, a consultant histopathologist for Leeds Teaching Hospitals, said Miss Cambridge died after fat entered her circulatory system and eventually blocked the pulmonary artery to the lungs.

Georgina Neville, who set up Elite Aftercare in late 2015, gave her condolences to Miss Cambridge's family, saying: "Truly and deeply, I'm sorry."

Coroner Kevin McLoughlin asked Miss Neville whether her company will continue to enable clients to have Brazilian butt lift operations despite many UK clinics refusing on account of the danger, to which she responded: "I decline to answer."

She added that she will take advice from a "suitable plastic surgeon" before continuing to offer the procedure.

The inquest, which is due to last three days, continues.