Coroner appeals to families linked to jailed surgeon

A coroner investigating the deaths of people treated by the jailed breast surgeon Ian Paterson has appealed for 106 more patients' families to make contact.

Inquests are currently being heard into the deaths of 70 women, to see if Paterson's treatment or care caused an unnatural death.

Paterson was jailed in 2017 after being convicted of wounding patients by way of botched and unnecessary operations and given a 20-year prison sentence.

The inquests' coroner, Judge Richard Foster, said he was recently notified of the deaths of a further 106 patients who were in their lifetime treated by Paterson for breast cancer, but he said he had not been told of their medical cause of death.

The list of 106 names, including six men, appears on the investigation website asking next of kin to contact the solicitors to the inquests Higgs LLP.

The law firm told the BBC: "We are simply seeking cause of death information to assess whether the deaths of these former patients of Mr Paterson will be investigated."

The disgraced breast surgeon worked with cancer patients at NHS and private hospitals in the West Midlands over 14 years.

At his trial the court heard that Paterson's technique involved leaving some breast tissue behind, preserving patients' cleavages, which breached national guidelines.

Investigations have so far found 106 patients died between 1995 and July 2026.

Others had surgery they did not need - some even finding out years later they did not have cancer.

The surgeries caused serious lasting physical and physiological harm to all the victims. One woman was unable to breast feed her baby as a result.

Paterson is due to be automatically released halfway through his sentence in 2027, before the inquests in Birmingham are due to conclude.

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