Rogue surgeon Paterson is sentenced to 15 years after performing unnecessary operations

The rogue breast surgeon Ian Paterson has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for carrying out “extensive, life changing operations for no medically justifiable reason.”

Paterson, a former consultant surgeon at Heart of England NHS Trust, was convicted last month at Nottingham Crown Court of 17 counts of wounding with intent and three counts of wounding in his treatment of nine women and one man.1 He received 15 years for each wounding with intent charge and four years for each wounding charge, all to run concurrently.

The 10 patients underwent needless operations for breast surgery at private hospitals run by Spire Healthcare after Paterson misrepresented biopsy results and exaggerated risks posed by family history to convince the patients that mastectomy was essential to prevent breast cancer. …