LONDON (AP) – A prominent breast surgeon whose victims accused him of playing God with their lives faces a life sentence after a jury convicted him Friday of carrying out unnecessary operations that maimed some of his victims for life.
The Nottingham Crown Court jury found Ian Paterson guilty of 17 counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and three counts of unlawful wounding. Prosecutors say the 59-year-old doctor lied to patients or exaggerated their risk of cancer to persuade them to have surgery.
“Of the 11 victims he was charged with in relation to this case, none had breast cancer, and yet he led them to believe they were at risk. This was cruel and unnecessarily led to many people suffering and living in fear,” West Midlands police Superintendent Mark Payne said. “Paterson was a controlling bully, who played God with people’s lives so he could live a luxurious lifestyle.”
Paterson owned a luxury home in Birmingham as well as properties in Cardiff, Manchester and the United States, West Midlands police said.
Hundreds of Paterson’s patients were recalled in 2012 after concerns about unnecessary or incomplete operations. Nine women and one man testified about the procedures during his trial, which dealt with surgeries between 1997 and 2011.