Sister of butcher surgeon Ian Paterson victim calls for more jail time for medic

Shirley Moroney's sister, Marie Pinfeld, died from cancer in October 2008, after delays in her treatment caused by rogue surgeon Ian Paterson.

The sister of a woman who died after being operated on twice by butcher Scots surgeon Ian Paterson has called on the disgraced medic to get more jail time.

Shirley Moroney's 49-year-old sister Marie Pinfeld died from cancer in October 2008, after delays in her treatment caused by Paterson. Shirley is attending the inquest into the death of her sister and 61 other women who were Paterson's patients.

She believes the best outcome would be for him to be convicted of many more crimes. Paterson subjected more than 1,000 patients to unnecessary and damaging operations over 14 years, and is serving a 20-year jail sentence after he was found guilty of 17 counts of wounding people with intent and three counts of unlawful wounding.

Last week, he refused to leave his cell and told the coroner he would not be taking part in the hearings. He claimed his life would be at risk if he took part but gave no explanation as to why.

Paterson also claimed he hadn't had time to prepare - despite the coroner making sure he had a laptop and access to evidence for months. As reported in the Mirror, Paterson, from Glasgow, also fears that if the coroner finds any of the women were unlawfully killed, the Director of Public Prosecutions would be forced to bring charges against him.

Shirley, 61, said: "I hope he perjures himself. It is quite clear that people have died an unnatural death, then it's down to the DPP to lay charges, the police will have all the evidence and statements. He is going to be out in 2027 and I want him to serve more time. The worst thing about it, is this is still just the tip of the iceberg, there are still so many people that were harmed by him and they will never have their day in court. If we can get him more time in prison I will be a very happy woman and that's my main aim in all this. He stole my sister."

Marie, who worked as a child protection officer, was due to retire before her death. She spoke about buying a campervan to go exploring with her dog. Shirley argues her sister was robbed of her future.

Marie met with Paterson when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2006. She was booked in for a double mastectomy after she decided she wanted to give herself the best chance of the disease not returning.

But rogue surgeon Paterson gave Marie what he thought was a "pioneering technique" of a cleavage-sparing mastectomy, taking the minimal amount of breast tissue and leaving her with "two lumps of fatty tissue" instead of the flat chest she expected.

Shirley says her sister was devastated but Paterson thought what he had done was "f**king fantastic". The siblings demanded a second operation to correct Paterson's work, but she was still left without a flat chest.

The subsequent delay in chemotherapy and radiotherapy meant she developed secondary cancer in her lung and died in October 2008. Heart of England NHS Trust admitted the second operation would not have been necessary if the double mastectomy had been carried out properly.

An independent report found Marie could have lived for 10 more years had she received the right initial treatment. When Marie said she wanted a double mastectomy, Paterson demanded that she was signed off by a psychiatrist to confirm she was of sound mind.

Shirley said: "When we went to see him, he got angry and we assumed it was just professional pride, we made excuses because everybody kept telling us that he was the best. Even after the second operation, she was still a C or D cup, he still wouldn't give her a flat chest.

"He should have said: 'Marie, let's do the chemotherapy, let's do the radiotherapy, and we'll sort your body issues out afterwards. But he didn't. The guy had a God complex. He felt that women could only be in this world if they'd got a breast body shape. Marie believed in justice, and right and wrong, doing the job she did. I know she will be looking down on me, willing me to go on."

Speaking of the inquest, she added: "I'm angry that Paterson gets to take part at all. I can't believe he will reveal something that will change my mind. Going through this inquest is a torturous process, it's like a drip, drip, drip of more awful information." She is also backing calls to stop Paterson being allowed to move to an open prison and hopes people will sign the petition.

Linda Millband, head of group claims at Thompsons Solicitors, who is representing Mrs Moroney and 13 other families who are involved in the coroner’s investigation said: “Whilst we wouldn’t normally comment during an inquest hearing, I would like to make clear how deeply disappointed my clients are by Paterson’s refusal to attend the inquests into the deaths of 62 of his patients.

“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. The claim that Mr Paterson lacks adequate facilities to prepare for the hearings is unacceptable. The court has made extensive efforts to ensure he has access to the necessary resources, and his continued attempts to evade participation only add to the distress of those families whose loved ones have died.”

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