A FURTHER eight inquests are to be opened as part of a coroner’s investigation into dozens of deaths linked to convicted breast surgeon Ian Paterson.
Judge Richard Foster, the coroner, said he believes there is evidence to have reason to suspect that some of those deaths may be unnatural.
Investigations into more than 50 deaths have been opened so far since Judge Foster and his team reviewed 417 cases of former patients where breast cancer had been listed as a cause of death in part one of the death certificate.
On September 25 inquests into the deaths of Gillian Hudson, Kathleen Duffy, Jean Morris, Myrna Williams, Christina Fretwell, Margaret Davis, Ruth Barnett and Irene Scriven will be opened.
Once opened the inquests will be adjourned and it is anticipated that a pre inquest review hearing will be listed for December.
Final hearings are expected to begin in summer 2025.
The next of kin of former patients of Paterson have been asked to come forward and contact the solicitors to the inquest via the coroner’s Paerson investigation here.
Paterson is currently serving a 20-year jail sentence after being convicted in 2017 of 17 counts of wounding with intent and three counts of unlawful wounding against ten patients.
The consultant breast surgeon, whose victims run into the hundreds, worked at hospitals run by the Heart of England NHS Trust (HEFT) and also practiced privately at Bupa hospitals in Solihull and Sutton Coldfield, latterly run by Spire Healthcare.
