Businesswoman wins £6m for facelift disaster

A distressed businesswoman was yesterday awarded £6million in damages over a disfiguring facelift

A distressed businesswoman was yesterday awarded £6million in damages over a disfiguring facelift.

Penny Johnson, 49, a director of a financial and IT consultancy, suffered severe nerve damage around her right cheek and eye after of a botched facelift caused by a surgeon’s 'experimental work'.

Ms Johnson initially went to Mr Le Roux Fourie in 2003 for minor surgery on her nose and to remove dark circles under her eyes. Mr Fourie instead carried out other major procedures, including breast surgery.

‘He purposefully decided to play God with my life. I will never be able to move past what happened to me especially to know this person did it on purpose,’ says Ms Johnson.

'My face is constantly contracting. I don’t sleep and I have a permanent buzzing around my eye which can be so intense that I cant think about anything. My husband has a separate life with my son which I’m not included in. I cant be a wife anymore.'

Mr Fourie admitted liability, however his barrister Alain Choo Choy QC denied the surgery was experimental.

As a result of the destructive surgery, Penny claims she was unable to work and lost £54 million when her business went bankrupt in 2009. She initially claimed more than £50 million because of how much she’s lost, however Mr Justice Owen awarded her £80,000 in damages, and more than £4 million for loss of earnings.

‘Their marriage has survived; but the claimant said in evidence that she is no longer a wife to her husband,’ says Mr Justice Owen.

‘He says that she is now a completely different person and that their marriage is not what it used to be. They no longer go out together as they used regularly to do, and have become detached from the close knit group of friends whose company they used to enjoy.’

CLICK HERE FOR MORE WORLD NEWS