Inquest to open over deaths of patients treated by breast surgeon Ian Paterson

When Stuart Coyne received a letter to say his wife’s death, now 16 years ago, was being investigated to see if she had died unnecessarily after being operated on by the disgraced surgeon Ian Paterson, he was taken aback.

“It was a shock; it came out of the blue. When Catherine died, we all thought that she’d had the best treatment for the breast cancer that she had,” said Coyne, 70, who lives in Solihull. “Now, of course, it raises that question – would she still be here today?”

On Monday, an inquest into the deaths of 62 of Paterson’s former patients, thought to be one of the largest inquests ever held in the UK, will commence at Birmingham and Solihull coroner’s court.

A team of doctors reviewed hundreds of cases to identify patients they believed might have “died an unnatural death as a result of Ian Paterson’s actions”.

Paterson, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being found guilty of 17 counts of wounding with intent, is due to give evidence. The first day of the inquest hearing will consider his application for legal aid, which is being opposed by lawyers representing the victims.

A report published in 2020 found that Paterson subjected more than 1,000 NHS and private healthcare patients in the West Midlands to unnecessary and damaging operations over 14 years before he was stopped.

This included convincing patients to undergo surgery by exaggerating the risk of breast cancer, and performing unrecognised cleavage-sparing operations that left patients at risk of their cancer returning.

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Source: The Guardian, 7 October 2024