Breast removal surgeon 'said he would recommend op to wife'

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A doctor had an "unnecessary" operation to remove a breast after being told she had cancer that could turn aggressive at any time, a court heard.

GP Rosemary Platt said her surgeon, Ian Paterson, said he would recommend his own wife to have the same procedure if in the same position.

Mr Paterson has denied 20 counts of wounding with intent on nine women and one man.

His trial has heard he carried out the operations for "obscure" reasons.

Mr Paterson, 59, of Castle Mill Lane, Ashley, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, was formerly employed by Heart of England NHS Trust and also practised at Spire Healthcare in the West Midlands.

The procedures are alleged to have been carried out between 1997 and 2011.

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Dr Platt, now retired, told Nottingham Crown Court she trusted Mr Paterson's advice to have the operation in 2001 after growths in her breast were found.

She said her husband had asked Mr Paterson if his own wife had the same symptoms and results would this be the course of action he would take, and he said yes.

'Trusted professional'

Dr Platt first went to Mr Paterson in 1997, when she was 47, after finding a lump in her right breast.

She later underwent an excision of the lump and had another procedure on her armpit a month later.

More lumps were found and four years later it was suggested she would have a mastectomy and reconstruction.

She said that despite her profession, she "left her GP hat at the door" and trusted the advice given to her by the consultant.

"I felt he was a trusted professional, he was a doctor who cared about his patients and he would give me the best advice in this situation," she told the court.

As she recovered from the operation Mr Paterson suggested to her that in the long term she would need a procedure on the left side. But she said she felt so ill she asked to leave it under review.

Cross examined by Mr Paterson's defence lawyer, Nicholas Johnson QC, it was suggested Dr Platt's memory might be affected by the passage of time.

But she said she thought pain, such as having stitches removed from a breast cut, helps you remember things.

The trial continues.