Paterson pushed breast reconstruction, court hears

Teacher and foster carer Jenny Lloyd-Faux had "an abundance of kindness", her daughter said

Jailed surgeon Ian Paterson tried to persuade a teacher to have breast reconstruction following her mastectomy, according to her daughter.

Amy Lloyd's statement was read out at the inquest into the death of her mother, Jenny Lloyd-Faux, who died in 2009, aged 62.

She said she recalled seeing her mother was left with a "mound" and not a "completely flat" chest following a mastectomy at Solihull Hospital in 2001.

Paterson was convicted of wounding patients with botched and unnecessary operations in 2017 and jailed for 20 years. The inquests at Birmingham Coroner's Court are the first time the deaths of former patients have been examined.

Amy said in her statement: "I recall a conversation with my mother, where I said what a good job Ian Paterson had done in leaving her the shape of a breast. My mother replied that she was not interested about that.

"She had said that Ian Paterson had been trying to convince her to have reconstruction but that she was just not interested. She had wanted all of the breast gone and the cancer with it."

She added: "The psychological effects of the cancer affected my mother, in that she was afraid of dying, but not the mastectomy itself.

"From my mother's point of view, she was no less of a woman for having had a mastectomy, and it did not affect her psychologically in any way.

"My mother had more feminist views and was proud of her body (including her scars).

"It is my firm belief that my mother would have been absolutely horrified if she had thought that any breast conservation had taken place at the expense of jeopardising her life."

Mrs Lloyd-Faux was upset by "pressure" to have reconstructive breast surgery, her daughter said

She said her mother's partner, who she later married, was supportive of her views, and "just wanted my mother to be happy and healthy".

She said: "My mother would become upset after seeing Ian Paterson, and this pressure to have reconstructive surgery was one of the things that upset her."

Amy said earlier in her statement: "I note that my mother's inquest is not based on any 'cleavage-sparing mastectomy'. However, I think it is important to note that I am sure that this is the surgery she received."

A cleavage-sparing mastectomy describes a method used by Paterson in which, rather than removing the whole breast, he left tissue behind.

'Extremely dismissive'

Giving evidence over video link from jail, Ian Paterson denied Jenny Lloyd-Faux had undergone a "cleavage-sparing mastectomy".

Counsel to the inquests Scott Matthewson asked him about Amy's statement, that her mother was left with a "mound" and not a "completely flat" chest, and asked if that suggested a complete mastectomy had not taken place.

Paterson said he did not want to comment on what an untrained person was saying.

He said there was no evidence to suggest a cleavage-sparing mastectomy had taken place, and Jenny had undergone a full mastectomy.

Earlier, the inquest heard Jenny saw her GP in 2000 after noticing changes in her right breast.

The court heard Mr Paterson arranged a mammogram and ultrasound but not a biopsy, and advised her she did not have cancer.

About eight months later, Jenny went back to her doctor and was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had a mastectomy in Sept 2001 when her daughter was 17.

Amy's statement said: "She would cry after every consultation with Ian Paterson who she said was extremely dismissive of her, her questions, her symptoms and her cancer throughout."

'Supported pupils'

In a pen portrait, Jenny was described by her only daughter as having "a zest for life and an abundance of kindness".

She was a special educational needs teacher in Birmingham and set up support groups for bereaved children. She also fostered three children.

"She found most enjoyment from helping children who had struggles, such as those in deprived areas. She was often remembered by past pupils and parents who would approach her in the supermarket or walking down the street to tell her how much they appreciated her support in their childhoods and to reminisce," Amy said.

Jenny is one of 65 women whose deaths are being investigated to determine whether or not they died an unnatural death as a result of Ian Paterson's care and treatment.