Paterson, 59, was originally sentenced to 15 years imprisonment when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court in May after being found guilty of wounding with intent. The Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC MP, presented this case at the Court of Appeal and successfully argued that the sentence was unduly lenient.
The doctor specialised in cancer diagnosis and treatments of breast conditions, and was revered as the ‘go-to’ specialist. Between 1997 and 2011, Paterson deliberately exaggerated or invented the risk of cancer to vulnerable patients and then carried out unnecessary operations on the victims, including mastectomies.
The surgeries caused serious lasting physical and physiological harm to all the victims. One woman was unable to breast feed her baby as a result.
Speaking after the hearing, the Solicitor General said:
“Throughout our lives, we are told and expected to trust doctors. Paterson woefully abused that trust - he deliberately prayed on peoples worst fears and then mutilated them on the operating table.
“This is a truly sickening crime and my thoughts are with the victims and their families. I hope the increased sentence will help bring some closure for them.”