MONEY, greed and a God complex have all been cited as the reasons why Ian Paterson carried out his atrocities.
The 59-year-old led a lavish lifestyle with a property portfolio featuring homes in Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester and the USA.
But unless the shamed doctor, described by many victims before they knew just what he had done, as a charming doctor they had faith in, speaks out, his patients may never know the exact reasons behind his life-changing actions.
Here, they react to Friday’s guilty verdict and their hopes for his sentencing, which is due in May.
Sarah Jane Downing, an author from Solihull, had surgery with Paterson at Spire Parkway in Solihull in 1998 after finding a lump in her breast.
Instead of removing potentially cancerous tissue, Paterson removed perfectly healthy breast tissue.
Speaking to The Observer after Paterson’s guilty verdict, Sarah Jane, who co-ordinates a support group for victims, said:
“I was so worried for a while that we wouldn’t get the correct result and outcome we wanted because the trial has been a very long and arduous process, with the deliberations taking a long time.
“We’ve all known all along that he’s guilty and we’ve got the scars to prove that.
“But we really needed everyone else to know that too – and now they do.”
She added: “I am so absolutely disgusted by what an awful, deplorable human being he is.
“It is hard to come to terms with how awful he has been – to me and other people.
“I would really like him to explain what he’s done and why he’s done it but fear and suspect he never will and will never own up.
“I would like to see a really long sentence which is representative of each and every person he has harmed – and that’s over 1,000 people so that’s a very long sentence.
“But this guilty verdict is the first step for us to move on and to get the proper support, care, treatments and prognosis for all of his victims.”
Around 100 of Paterson’s victims belong to Sarah Jane’s support group.
As well as supporting one another and sharing experiences, the group provides victims with regular updates on all aspects of the Paterson case.
It also holds fundraising coffee mornings to raise vital money for Macmillan Cancer Support – providing a way for victims to ’empower’ themselves by helping fellow cancer patients.
To find our more about the group or get involved, e-mail Sarah Jane at: [email protected]
