Career woman wins £6m after life was ruined by cosmetic surgeon women

A high-flying businesswoman whose career and marriage were ruined when a plastic surgeon decided ‘to play God’ has won £6.2million compensation. A botched facelift left Penny Johnson, 49, with a permanent twitch and a drooping ‘monster eye’ that forced her to step down from the consultancy she co-owned with her husband. Her speech became slurred, she drooled and was barely able to sleep because she could no longer close her right eye, forcing her to tape it shut at night. Mrs Johnson sank into depression, and the scars of her operation – both physical and psychological – have led to thoughts of suicide and all but ended both her career and her marriage to Peter, 45. As the IT and financial firm she built failed, the mother-of-three admitted  she went to bed ‘wishing I would never wake up again’. ‘I don’t want to do anything anymore. My husband has a separate life with my son which I am not included in. I can’t be a wife anymore,’ she told the High Court. Her legal team estimated that if her career had continued unhindered, she could have potentially earned £54million. She was described as the powerhouse of the company, Bishop Cavanagh, which she jointly owned with her husband. She had landed multi-million-pound deals with companies such as IBM and Deloitte, and with Middle Eastern banks. But after her departure the firm’s fortunes faded and it went under in 2009. Mrs Johnson said if she had remained, turnover would have been £155million by last year, from which she would have benefited directly as a 50 per cent shareholder. She sued the offending doctor, Le Roux Fourie, claiming he had carried out ‘experimental’ surgery on her face. Although the 55-year-old Leeds-based surgeon admitted negligence, his legal team contested the size of her claim. In fact, the judge estimated that the company’s income would be £20million and awarded Mrs Johnson £6,190,884.92 damages. Mr Justice Owen said the psychological impact of the injuries had been devastating, adding ‘the claimant was formerly a confident, happy and outstandingly successful woman with a full and rewarding family and social life’. Only £80,000 of the award was made for her ‘pain, suffering and loss of amenity’ following the facelift and a botched breast implant, while more than £6million was for her past and future loss of earnings. Her legal team believe the payout is a record for a cosmetic surgery claim. Penny Bounds, as she was then known, was born and raised in a small Welsh mining village near Merthyr Tydfil and left school at 16 with just five O-levels to pursue a career as a hairdresser. But she soon realised her ambitions far exceeded this and she  quit her City and Guilds course within a few months. ‘Everybody thought I had ideas above my station,’ she said when giving evidence. ‘But I wanted the house, the car, the holidays.’ She landed a post as a clerical assistant in the civil service in London, where she was quickly promoted to a job in the office of the Employment Secretary. In 1984, Mrs Johnson married her first husband, John Davies, and had two children. The marriage ended in 1987. She retrained as a fitness instructor and had her first cosmetic procedure – breast implants – in the late 1980s. The single mother also demonstrated her talent for business. Between 1989 and 1994 she sold designer gym wear to her clients, taking home up to £1,000 a month. By this time she had met her second husband-to-be, businessman Peter Johnson. They married in 1997 and had a son Daniel. In 2000 they joined forces at Croydon-based consultancy Bishop Cavanagh. By 2003, Mrs Johnson, who was now in her early 40s, was unhappy with the dark circles under her eyes and the shape of her nose. At her consultation, Dr Fourie recommended extensive procedures to her face, and the replacement of her implants. Three days later, surgery took place at Bupa Methley Park Hospital in Leeds. ‘To know he purposefully decided to play God with my life is not something that I think I can get past,’ Mrs Johnson told the court. She also admitted: ‘Whether I stay married remains to be seen…we need to sit down and sort out what happens next.’ An expert had earlier told the court how the couple’s sex life had virtually ended. Her solicitor Colum Smith, from McMillan Williams, said: ‘The amount of compensation is within our reasonable expectations.’ Awards for lost earnings are calculated net of tax and Mr Smith said his client may appeal against the amount levied on the payout. A successful appeal could increase the sum by as much as £3million.