Friday, May 23, 2008

Man had testicles cut off after 'botched vasectomy'

A father-of-four is claiming £1 million damages after winning his legal case over a vasectomy that went wrong. Daniel Stalker, 51, was forced to have his testicles removed and has been in pain ever since the operation 12 years ago.

Yesterday he won his case against Lothian Health Board at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, and a judge will now set damages. Mr Stalker, of Dunbar, East Lothian, is reportedly seeking £1 million in compensation.

He went for the operation in May 1996 at an Edinburgh family planning clinic after his wife fell pregnant with their fourth child.

He claimed Dr Paul Dewart tried to perform the procedure despite his protests that he was in pain and the anaesthetic was not working. The operation had to be abandoned after Mr Stalker doubled over in pain and vomited.

One of his testicles then turned black and swelled to double the size, he claimed. Two years later he had his testicles removed in an attempt to end his misery - but this has failed to alleviate the pain.

Lord Uist yesterday ruled in favour of Mr Stalker. He said: “On a consideration of the whole evidence on this point, I find that the pursuer suffered neuropathic pain ... when Dr Dewart inserted an instrument into an unanaesthetised part of his scrotum in the course of blunt dissection during the attempted vasectomy procedure.”

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