Mum left scarred for life by ‘Seagull Surgeon’

Pearl Richman is calling to more regulations on foreign doctors who carry out medical work abroad before returning home unchecked.

And all after she was left with scars for life after going under the knife of Italian surgeon Marco Moraci and developing necrosis - the premature death of skin cells.

Mrs Richman was awarded £43,000 in compensation after taking the case to court in Birmingham with the help of Wright Hassall solicitors.

But despite a court finding in favour of her case and awarding the mother more than £43,000 in compensation, the surgeon is understood to be still operating in the UK and, she believes, back in Italy.

But she has not seen any or the money as Harley Medical Group, which organised the £8,000 surgery, went into administration and was never legally responsible for the surgeons it uses. His insurance company will not pay out as he has not reported the case.

An independent surgeon who reviewed the case found serious flaws in the methods used by Moraci.

Now Mrs Richman is concerned that Seagull Surgeons – foreign doctors who fly into the UK and undertake failed procedures before returning home – is growing and is unchecked.

Explaining her ordeal, she said she developed a large black scab on the side of her face which left open flesh wounds when it eventually fell off a month later.

But that there has been no come back on the surgeon and she must pursue the case abroad to get compensation.

The Kenilworth mum said “This might sound dramatic to people, but this has almost ruined my life.

“He never talked about necrosis. It wasn’t mentioned. I just remember him saying that he would make me happy.

“When they took the drains out of my face it hurt so much, I screamed and it started to go purple, but they do these procedures every day, when they say not to worry, you believe it.

“The Government should make sure there is a level of accountability through qualifications and insurances.”

Jeanette Whyman from Wright Hassall, who represented Mrs Richman, said the problems occur when trying to pursue a case abroad.

“Dr Moraci’s residency outside of the UK shouldn’t, in theory, make a difference,” she said. “What it means is we can get a judgement here but it has to be enforced abroad which can be expensive. If there are no assets in the UK, you cannot enforce here and it has to be pursued abroad.”