Anger as rogue breast surgeon Ian Paterson refuses to give inquest evidence

Disgraced breast surgeon Ian Paterson has been blasted after refusing to give evidence at inquests into the deaths of 62 of his patients beginning next week.

The rogue medic, 66, who is currently serving a 20-year jail term after being convicted of multiple counts of wounding in 2017, claims he has “inadequate facilities” to prepare for what will be Britain’s biggest ever inquests hearings being held at Birmingham Coroner’s Court next week.

At a preliminary hearing yesterday Paterson was invited to attend via video-link from his cell but

Coroner Richard Foster was told he did not intend to attend the hearing and

In a letter to the court, a lawyer acting for Paterson submitted that health concerns, a lack of legal representation and “inadequate facilities to prepare” for the inquests meant his witness summons should be withdrawn by the coroner’s court.

It added: “There is no prospect of Mr Paterson’s legal representatives having adequate time and facilities to prepare for the hearings that are currently timetabled.”

The move came after the coroner said he had no power to grant Legal Aid after previous applications for taxpayer’s cash were rejected by the MOJ.

Linda Millband, head of group claims at Thompsons Solicitors, representing 14 families said her clients were “deeply disappointed” by his refusal to attend.

She added: “His absence is a disservice to the families who have already endured unimaginable pain and suffering following the deaths of their loved ones. These families deserve to know how their loved ones died and what were the causes.

Paterson was employed by the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust and practised in the independent sector at Spire Parkway and Spire Little Aston in Birmingham.

The disgraced medic was jailed after being found to have carried out unnecessary and unapproved procedures on more than 1,000 breast cancer patients over a 14-year period. Police say he “played God with his victim’s lives so he could live a jet-set lifestyle.

Paterson lied to his victims, “exaggerating or quite simply inventing the risk of cancer” and claimed payments for more expensive procedures by putting incorrect codes on insurance forms.

But whilst prosecutors told Nottingham Crown Court earning extra money to fund a luxurious lifestyle was part of his motivation, they claimed his “God complex” allowed him to revel in the misery he inflicted as his “cleavage-sparing” mastectomies left breast tissue which risked a return of cancer.

The surgeon and his wife sold their £1.25million eight-bedroom home in the Birmingham suburb of Edgbaston as his career unravelled in 2013 but at the time of his conviction in 2017 still owned properties in Cardiff, Manchester and a holiday home in the US.

He was jailed after being convicted of 17 counts of wounding with intent and three counts of unlawful wounding relating to unnecessary operations performed on 10 patients between 1997 and 2011.

More than 560 patient deaths have been considered so far by a multi-disciplinary team of medical experts, leading to the opening of 62 inquests.

It emerged at the weekend that Health Secretary Mr Streeting has decided to remove Paterson’s taxpayer-funded pension under rules that allow NHS benefits to be forfeited in the case of criminal, negligent or fraudulent acts.