CPS News Brief

Breast surgeon convicted of wounding patients

 

A breast surgeon who carried out wholly unnecessary procedures, often including radical surgery, on nine women and a man has today been convicted of malicious wounding following a trial at Nottingham Crown Court.

Ian Paterson, 59, carried out the surgery while working in private practice in the West Midlands between 1997 and 2011. In most cases he told the victims they were at risk of developing breast cancer when in fact the procedures were not necessary.

Some victims underwent multiple surgical procedures for which there was no clinical basis.

The trial heard evidence from the nine women and one man who described the physical and psychological effects the procedures had on them, which included the removal of breast tissue and double mastectomies.

One victim, who became pregnant several years after undergoing a procedure, was misled by Paterson that she would be unable to breast feed her child, causing her significant distress.

Pamela Jain, from the CPS, said:

“Ian Paterson carried out procedures which no reasonable surgeon would have considered justified and he knew the operations were unnecessary.

“The prosecution evidence showed how Paterson breached the trust of his victims by convincing them to undergo surgical procedures.

“I would like to pay tribute to the victims in this case who bravely came forward to give their evidence which was of a very personal nature.”

Paterson will be sentenced in due course.

Ends

Notes to Editors

- Pamela Jain is a Specialist Prosecutor with the CPS Specialist Fraud Division

- Ian Paterson was convicted of 17 counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and three counts of unlawful wounding.

Statement following sentencing of John Earle for indecent assaults in 1950s and 60s

Alison Longhorn, from the CPS, said:

“John Earle took advantage of his young victim for his own sexual gratification. He was charged with serious and prolonged abuse against one of the very people he had a duty of care for in his role as deputy head teacher. We worked closely with the police to build a strong case and faced with the evidence against him, Earle pleaded guilty.

“Earle’s offending has had a lifelong impact on his victim, to whom I would like to express my appreciation. Without him this prosecution would not have been possible. He has displayed immense courage during the investigation and prosecution of this case and I hope the sentence imposed today brings him some comfort.

“These offences took place more than 50 years ago but regardless of when crimes are committed the CPS will always prosecute when there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to do so.”

Notes to Editors

·         Alison Longhorn is a District Crown Prosecutor with CPS South-West

·         John Earle, 87, pleaded guilty six counts of indecent assault against a male at Exeter Crown Court on 29 March 2017. The charges relate to offences committed between 1957 and 1961

·         Earle, of Devon, was sentenced to four years imprisonment at Exeter Crown Court today (28 April 2017)

Four men and a woman sentenced for child sexual exploitation

Four men and one woman have today (April 28) been given prison sentences of between three and 15 years, for offences involving child sexual exploitation.

Brothers, Christopher, 23, Matthew, 25, and Shane Whiteley, 30 were found guilty at an earlier hearing, of multiple sexual offences including rape, sexual assault against a child under 13 and conspiracy to arrange child prostitution and theft.

Appearing alongside them at Sheffield Crown Court were Amanda Spencer, 26, and Taleb Bapir, 39, who were respectively found guilty of four counts of arranging child prostitution and rape.

The brothers and their associates targeted vulnerable young girls in the Sheffield area between 2005 and 2012.  

The girls were given drink, drugs and gifts, before being forced to have sex with members of the group and strangers.   They were also threatened and subjected to violence

 

Peter Mann, from the CPS, said: 

“These defendants cynically targeted and sexually exploited young and vulnerable girls. The suffering the victims must have endured is hard to comprehend.

“This case was a complex one. With the victims’ assistance the CPS was able to build a strong prosecution case against these defendants, resulting in today’s sentences.”

 

--ENDS--

 

Notes to editors

1. Peter Mann is Head of the Complex Casework Unit at CPS Yorkshire and Humberside.

2. Sentences:

Christopher Whiteley: 15 years in prison.

Taleb Bapir: 10 years in prison.

Shane Whiteley: 8 years in prison.

Matthew Whiteley: 7 years in prison.

Amanda Spencer: 3 years in prison

 

Couple convicted over death of baby in London

A couple who tried to cover up the death of their three-month old baby by carrying her lifeless onto a bus have been convicted of causing or allowing her death.

 

Jeffrey Wiltshire, 52, gave a thumbs up sign to his partner Rosalin Baker, 25, as she boarded a London bus in east London on 28 September 2016 carrying the body of their daughter Imani in a sling.

 

On the bus Baker made various phone calls, before enlisting the help of another passenger by saying that there was something wrong with her baby. However, when the paramedics arrived they realised she had been dead for some time, and the hospital team identified a number of signs of injury.

 

A post-mortem investigation revealed Imani had a fractured skull, a fractured right wrist, and multiple broken ribs consistent with non-accidental injury.

 

Both were found guilty by a jury at the Central Criminal Court today [20 April].

 

CPS reviewing lawyer from the London homicide team Devi Kharran said: “These verdicts bring to an end a tragic case.

 

“The medical evidence showed that before she died, Baby Imani suffered a number of separate and violent assaults, including one which fractured her skull, damaged her brain and ultimately ended her life.

 

“Despite a large number of very serious and painful injuries which would have been very obvious, neither of her parents sought medical help. Instead her lifeless body was carried onto a crowded London bus to disguise the true circumstances of her death.

 

“Witnesses have told the court of the shock and distress on that bus once Imani’s lifeless body was discovered. Passengers and passers-by came forward to try to save Imani.

“This deeply affected a number of them and adds to the cruelty displayed in this horrible crime.

 

“We would like to thank those who tried to help on the day including members of the public and the emergency services, some of whom later gave evidence in support of this prosecution.”

 

Baker and Wiltshire will be sentenced on 18 May.

 

Notes:

 

Rosalin Baker, 25, [28/07/1991] guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child

Jeffrey Wiltshire, 52, [20/06/1964] guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child

Two jailed for transphobic attack

Two attackers who carried out a violent, transphobic robbery on a man in Aylesbury have today (18 April) been jailed.

On 25 July 2016, the victim was approached by a group of males, who verbally abused him for being transgender, assaulted him and stole his wallet and mobile phone.

The victim sustained serious injuries in the attack including a fractured skull, a brain aneurysm and a puncture wound to his left cheek.

The CPS prosecuted the case as a transphobic hate crime from the outset. When the victim was unable to give evidence due to the physical and psychological effects of the assault, prosecutors successfully applied to have his police statement read out in court. Upon conviction, the judge determined that the case should be sentenced as a hate crime and an uplift of six months was today applied in relation to the ringleader of the attack.

Kaviraj Choolun from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said:

“Tackling hate crime is a priority for the CPS and offenders can expect to have their sentences increased.

“I hope this successful prosecution, and today’s sentences, will encourage victims to come forward. We work closely with our partners, as we did with Thames Valley police in this case, to ensure that criminals motivated by hate feel the full force of the law.

“We hope that the victim, who has shown great courage throughout this process, continues with his recovery. Our thoughts are with him at this time.”

Owen Wise, who was aged just 16 at the time of the incident, can be named after the judge decided to lift reporting restrictions. He acted as the ringleader and pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of a bladed article, but denied targeting the victim due to vulnerability and claimed to have only hit him once. Today the 17-year-old was sentenced at Aylesbury Crown Court to five years and 10 months in jail.

This sentence included a six-month uplift for the hate-fuelled nature of the offences. The judge praised CPS advocate Nigel Ogborne for his assistance in ensuring that Wise’s sentence was extended.

Michael Thorpe, 21, did not use any violence during the incident, but was part of the group when the robbery took place. He admitted to stealing the victim’s mobile phone during the robbery and pleaded guilty to theft.

He was sentenced to two years and three months imprisonment. Both defendants are from Aylesbury.

Note to Editors:

Kaviraj Choolun is a Senior Crown Prosecutor on the Thames Valley Crown Court Team at Thames and Chiltern Crown Prosecution Service.

Gang which supplied supplying £3.6m of cocaine jailed for over 100 years

 

Six members of a drugs gang which conspired to supply cocaine worth millions of pounds in London have been jailed for a combined total of 102 years today (7 April).

Florentino Gonzalez, 48, and Edwin Abazi, 31, were convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs following a three-week trial at Blackfriars Crown Court which concluded last month. Bajram Elezi, 34, was convicted of one count of possession of a Class A drug with intent to supply at the trial, while three other men pleaded guilty to similar charges.

The trial heard how the gang arranged for drugs to be supplied from apartment blocks in Canary Wharf and London Bridge. In total 30kg of cocaine, with an estimated street value of £3.6million, was seized from the gang by officers.

During the investigation members of the gang were found in possession of varying amounts of cocaine or cash, including more than £125,000 which was found in a hidden compartment in a Bentley driven by Gonzalez.

Today, Gonzalez was sentenced to 24 years in prison for his role in the scheme, with five other men jailed for between eight and 21 years each.

Laura Tams, from the CPS, said:

“These men were involved in a sophisticated operation to supply significant amounts of Class A drugs for sale on the streets of London.

“The prosecution worked with investigators from an early stage to build a strong case, resulting in the guilty verdicts returned by the jury.”

Ends

Background

·         Laura Tams is a Specialist Prosecutor with the CPS International Justice and Organised Crime Division

·         Details of charges and sentences: 

-       Florentino Gonzalez, 48, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to supply a Class A drug. He pleaded guilty to one count of concealing criminal property. Sentenced to 24 years in prison.

-       Edwin Abazi, 31, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply a Class A drug. Sentenced to 21 years in prison.

-       Bajram Elezi, 34, was found guilty of one count of possession of a Class A drug with intent to supply. Sentenced to 8 years in prison.

-       Armand Cuni, 39, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply a Class A drug. Sentenced to 22 years in prison.

-       Saimir Byberi, 30, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply a Class A drug. Sentenced to 15 years in prison.

-       Yeton Cera, 26, pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a Class A drug with intent to supply. Also pleaded guilty to possession of a false identity document. Sentenced to 12 years in prison.