Jean-Claude Mas the founder of the PIP breast implant company has been found guilty of criminal fraud in a French court. Mas was the mastermind behind a huge conspiracy which distributed defective breast implants around the world. He has been sentenced to four years in prison. PIP's sale of faulty implants caused a global health scare which affected about 300,000 women in 65 countries. Many of these women continue to suffer horrific health problems caused by the implants. Apart from Mas, four other former PIP executives were convicted and given lesser sentences.
Reacting to the sentence, Trisha Devine, who leads the PiP Implants Scotland Campaign said “The sentencing of Mas to four years in jail goes some way to recognising the huge pain and anxiety his crimes have caused. Women all over the world have suffered and continue to suffer terrible health problems because of this mans greed. He conned people into putting dangerous industrial chemicals into their body while all the time lying about the safety of his products. The ladies in the PiP Scotland Campaign will continue to fight to make sure that this can never happen again. We are all victims of crime and we need the Scottish health minister, Alex Neil, to hold a proper enquiry to see what lessons can be learned and to use the powers he has to properly regulate cosmetic clinics.”
Patrick McGuire from Thompsons Solicitors who represents many of the Scottish women involved in the PiP scandal said “Mas and his accomplices’ perpetrated a fraud which had the most enormous impact on the health of women all round the world. It beggars belief he could have got away with this for so long and chances were missed to stop him. If any good can come of this awful crime then surely we must take the opportunity to properly regulate cosmetic procedures in Scotland’s private clinics. The Scottish Government must act to protect people from potentially faulty medical products.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
• About 300,000 women in 65 countries are believed to have received PIP implants. Europe was a major market but more than half went to Latin America. They were not sold in the United States. 42,000 British received PIP implants.
For further information please contact Peter Henderson 07887 687 318