A bride borrowed cash from her parents to pay for an unnecessary breast operation after being wrongly told by a Glasgow-born surgeon she was at risk from cancer, a court has heard.

Consultant breast cancer surgeon Dr Ian Paterson is accused of telling Leanne Joseph, 25, that due to his operation to remove her milk ducts she would be unable to breastfeed.

Mrs Joseph told a jury yesterday that Paterson advised to her to have the surgery after she was treated by him in October 2006.

She went to Paterson after noticing a discharge from her left breast and was told by him that scans revealed she had pre-cancerous cells.

Nottingham Crown Court heard later scans found that no such abnormalities were present.

Paterson is charged with performing dozens of unnecessary operations, including mastectomies, in order to earn more and bolster his reputation.

All charges relate to Paterson's private practice at Spire Healthcare hospitals in Parkway, Solihull and Little Aston in the West Midlands.

Giving evidence via video-link, Mrs Joseph said she had been forced to use her and her new husband Mark's savings and borrow from her parents and uncle to fund the costly operation.

Mrs Joseph, now 36, said: "He [Paterson] seemed like the best on the Bupa website.

"We got an appointment for the following week.

"We went in and he asked me some questions and I explained about the discharge.

"I explained I had recently been married.

"He examined me and there was no further discharge and I had had no further discharge since seeing the GP.

"He asked what colour it was and how much there was and I said it was a mucky brown colour and there was a couple of centimetres of it in my bra.

"He said I needed to go for an ultrasound scan and it could be done that day at Spire Little Aston Hospital."

She said she returned to the clinic ten days later to see Paterson, who told her she needed surgery.

She said: "He said he had my ultrasound results and he told me I had pre-cancerous cells in my milk ducts.

"He just said that I would need an operation to have them removed and he could do it two days later on the Monday.

"I was quite shocked.

"He told me that although the operation was quite straight forward I wouldn't be able to breastfeed if I had children.

"He said it was a small price to pay for my life.

"It was not the sort of news I was expecting.

"I told him we didn't have medical insurance and I asked him how much it would cost and he said he wasn't 100 per cent sure and it would complicate things that I didn't have the insurance.

"I explained we didn't have the funds because we just got married and had recently renovated the house so we didn't have any money at all.

"I said I would go away to discuss it with Mark and said my parents might be able to sort it out.

"There was no discussion about whether it could be made available on the NHS.

"I went out and told him what I said and Mark was shocked and upset and that made me even more worried that he was worried.

"He just said to me that we will find the money because you need to have it done.

"We took steps to find the funds and we went straight round to see my parents.

"They are by no means well-off but my dad insisted that they would help us out as much as they could.

"We didn't have the money in time for the Monday as Mr Paterson suggested but it was available within two weeks.

"It was an operation that could be done in a day and Mark went to the hospital with me.

"I signed the consent form and I was worried about the general anaesthetic and Mr Paterson told me that it would be fine.

"He was lovely to me, he was really kind and he just made me feel at ease and I thought I was probably being a bit of a nuisance as I was upset about the general anaesthetic.

"After the operation, Mr Paterson just told me that everything had gone well and he would see me in seven to ten days to take the stitches out.

"I went home that day in the evening and it seemed that I had recovered OK from the operation.

"He took my stitches out and asked how I was feeling and he said he thought it was best to have it done on the right side and it was very unusual not to have pre-cancerous cells in both sides.

"I wasn't aware of any problems on the other side.

"I was upset because I thought after the operation and after I had my stitches out that it was all done with.

"I went for another ultrasound and Mr Paterson told me the results but he wasn't there during it.

"He said there was evidence of pre-cancerous cells in the right side.

"He suggested I had the same procedure on the right side.

"My parents weren't in a position to help us out again.

"We went to my uncle who said he would loan us some money and we had to borrow the rest.

"Mr Paterson was lovely again, he was just really kind to me.

"I was in more pain when I woke up the second time.

"I could feel something and it didn't quite feel right.

"He said I probably just needed some time to settle down and that I should take painkillers.

"The pain didn't settle down.

"He told my husband that it was probably nerve damage causing the pain but he had made us aware that this was a complication of the operation.

"It didn't get better, it got worse.

"Mr Paterson said I would need another procedure to settle down the scar tissue.

"It was an intense burning pain that I never had any respite from.

"He advised me surgery that I would have to have scar tissue taken away, but obviously it will have to come at a cost.

"The third operation was carried out by Ian Paterson and it did help with the pain.

"Contact with Mr Paterson came to an end after I had my stitches removed from the third operation."

Mrs Joseph told the jury that she later became pregnant and, despite Paterson insisting the operation would make it impossible to breastfeed, she started to produce milk.

She said: "I became pregnant and had discussions with the midwife.

"I was told by Mr Paterson that there was no chance at all that I could breastfeed.

"I explained that to the midwife and she was confused because she had been a midwife for a number of years and had never had anyone like this before and wanted something in writing.

"Mr Paterson became quite annoyed that the midwife had sent me there.

"It surprised me because he had always been so calm, quiet and kind and he sent me for an ultrasound again but said there was no chance I could breastfeed.

"The results showed what it should have showed that my ducts weren't connected and no milk could come through.

"He wrote to the midwife to say I should be given medication to stop me producing milk.

"This was medication that was the same as mothers who had miscarried.

"He wished me well with my pregnancy and if I had any problems I should go back to him.

"I received medication and didn't breastfeed.

"I found it very hard not to breastfeed because all the other mums were and posters were everywhere telling you that was the best way to develop baby's immune system.

"I didn't see Mr Paterson again after that."

Paterson, of Altrincham, Greater Manchester, denies 20 counts of unlawfully and maliciously wounding ten patients between 1997 and 2011.