Plea to find families of shamed surgeon's patients

The families of five of jailed surgeon Ian Paterson's patients, whose cases are being examined at judge-led inquests, have not yet been traced.

The coroner's legal team have been unable to trace next of kin for Jean Bonehill, Gladys Currall, Elaine Morris, Ann Styles, and Winifred Worrall, the BBC has been told.

The inquest into the death of Elaine Morris, who died aged 45, resumed in Birmingham on Monday. The coroner, Judge Richard Foster, asked for help to trace her family.

Ian Paterson was sentenced to 20 years in 2017, after being convicted of wounding patients with botched and unnecessary operations. He is known to have treated thousands of patients at hospitals in the West Midlands.

Judge Foster said Ms Morris was born in Birmingham in 1956.

She suffered from epilepsy and cerebral palsy, both of which were described as severe, and she had learning difficulties. She used a wheelchair and was cared for by her mother at home in Shirley, Solihull.

Ian Paterson, giving evidence via video link on Monday, said Ms Morris' mother would have made decisions about her treatment.

Ms Morris was diagnosed with breast cancer in her right side when she was 42.

The inquest heard she had a "wide local excision" also known as a lumpectomy.

The court was told she had her operation privately on 8 September 1999 but that an operation had also been scheduled by the NHS a week later.

The counsel to the inquests, Briony Ballard, asked Paterson: "Did you obtain a financial advantage if a patient went privately":[]}