Disgraced breast surgeon Ian Paterson refuses to attend the inquest

Jailed former breast surgeon Ian Paterson has refused to give evidence at an inquest into the deaths of 62 of his former patients, a move branded ‘unacceptable’ and ‘appalling’ by the families of the deceased.

Paterson was due to speak at the judge-led inquest at Birmingham and Solihull coroner’s court, which is investigating whether 62 of Paterson’s former patients “died an unnatural death as a result of his actions”.

It is believed to be one of the largest investigations in British history, and more cases may be added in the coming months.

Paterson, 66, was served with a notice in September asking him to testify by video link from prison on Thursday, where he is serving a 20-year sentence for 17 wounds, but lawyers representing him said he had refused to attend.

In an application filed at 11 p.m. on Wednesday, they cited health reasons, which were not explained in open court, as well as a “lack of legal representation” and “inadequate facilities to prepare” as the reasons why Paterson could not participate to the judicial investigation. process.

Judge Foster, who led the inquest, said it would be “significantly improved if Paterson took part” and that it was the first opportunity, outside of his criminal trial, to answer questions about his practice under oath.

He would use his “full powers to ensure Paterson’s presence,” he said.

Families of the deceased lobbied the judge not to delay the inquest proceedings due to Paterson’s refusal to participate.

Stephen Baker, whose wife, Christine, died in 2015, said: “We have been through hell because of this person, and now they are expanding this hell with the constant delays caused by Ian Paterson. “I think it is unacceptable to subject (the families of the deceased) to the increased stress of a postponement of the inquest.”

Shirley Moroney, whose sister, Marie Pinfield, died in 2008 after surgery by Paterson, said: “His participation, or lack thereof, is simply unacceptable.

“It’s like water torture, like a dripping tap in your brain, with all those delays. Now, at the eleventh hour, he throws up another obstacle. It’s horrible. He has had ample opportunity to prepare. It feels like are we considering these requests at all?

Earlier this week, Foster rejected Paterson’s application for legal aid, along with his request to postpone the inquest to allow him more time to read documents.

Paterson now has legal representation, the court heard, but had “no practical means” of communicating with lawyers from prison, claiming he had not had full access to the investigation documents since November 2023.

They said Paterson “wants to participate in these investigations” and that his upcoming move to an open prison, a move strongly criticized by his victims, could allow him to do so.

His legal team has until October 16 to provide further evidence as to why Paterson cannot testify.

The inquest is not a criminal investigation, but Paterson’s lawyers say any conclusion of unlawful killing could lead to further criminal charges being brought against him.

Paterson was convicted in 2017 after being found guilty of performing harmful and unnecessary surgeries on patients. A report published in 2020 found that he had subjected more than 1,000 patients to harmful surgeries.

He was found to have fabricated or exaggerated the risk of breast cancer to perform unnecessary surgeries, and in some cases, performed the wrong procedures.

Foster said the hearings on generic issues would go ahead as planned, but the first individual patient inquiry heard in court would now be on October 21, rather than next week, to give Paterson’s legal team more time to to prepare.