Disgraced breast surgeon declines to give evidence ahead of multiple inquests

Jailed bosom surgeon Ian Paterson has refused to be to springiness grounds astatine inquests into the deaths of 62 of his patients, claiming helium has “inadequate facilities” to hole for the hearings.

Paterson had been invited to look astatine Birmingham Coroner’s Court by situation video-link connected Thursday to code “generic matters” concerning his objective practice, up of afloat inquest hearings expected to commencement adjacent week.

The 66-year-old is serving a 20-year custodial word aft being convicted of aggregate counts of wounding successful 2017.

There is nary imaginable of Mr Paterson's ineligible representatives having capable clip and facilities to hole for the hearings that are presently timetabled

Letter sent to tribunal by lawyer acting for Ian Paterson

Coroner Richard Foster was told Paterson did not mean to be the proceeding and had lodged an exertion to revoke a witnesser summons issued to him earlier successful the proceedings.

In a missive to the court, sent connected his behalf astatine 11pm connected Wednesday, a lawyer acting for Paterson submitted that wellness concerns, a deficiency of ineligible practice and “inadequate facilities to prepare” for the inquests meant his witnesser summons should beryllium withdrawn by the coroner’s court.

The exertion added: “There is nary imaginable of Mr Paterson’s ineligible representatives having capable clip and facilities to hole for the hearings that are presently timetabled.”

The exertion was not intended to beryllium successful immoderate mode obstructive, the submission said, adding: “It has been noted earlier and bears repeating that Mr Paterson wants to enactment successful these inquests.

“In the circumstances that presently prevail, it would beryllium unreasonable to inquire Mr Paterson to comply with the Schedule 5 Notice (the witnesser summons).”

The coroner, who volition regularisation connected Paterson’s exertion to person the summons revoked aboriginal connected Thursday, ruled earlier this week that helium had nary powers to assistance ineligible backing to the disgraced surgeon.

During preliminary ineligible arguments connected Monday, Judge Foster besides rejected an exertion from Paterson to hold the inquests.

Judge Foster said helium had “gone to immense lengths” to guarantee Paterson had facilities to hole for the inquest, including making arrangements for him to person hard copies of written material.

Paterson was appointed arsenic a advisor astatine Solihull Hospital successful 1998 and practised determination until May 2011.

More than 560 diligent deaths person been considered truthful acold by a multi-disciplinary squad of aesculapian experts, starring to the opening of 62 inquests.