A father took his own life after he couldn’t cope with the death of his daughter, who died after a botched ‘Brazilian buttock lift’ operation in Turkey in 2018, an inquest has heard.
Craig Cambridge, 51, was found hanged at his home in Leeds, West Yorkshire, last April after his life ‘came crashing down’ – three years after his daughter Leah, 29, died when surgery went awry.
An investigation into his death revealed he could never get past the loss of his daughter – as the coroner said he would send the report to the surgeon to make him aware of the “tentacles” of the tragedy.
Mr Cambridge also suffered from depression and alcohol dependence in the years following his daughter’s death, the inquest said.
Leah Cambridge (right) from Leeds, died on the operating table in 2018 following Brazilian butt lift surgery. Her father (left) died three years later. A senior coroner ruled: ‘This was a suicide attributed in part to the death of his daughter who died during surgery in Turkey’
Leah Cambridge, 29, died after undergoing cosmetic surgery to lift her buttocks in 2018. Doctors and nurses at the Turkish clinic were unable to save her
Wakefield Coroners Court heard today how his daughter Chelsea Cambridge’s partner found his lifeless body at his home on April 5 last year.
His tragic death came three years after his daughter died of a pulmonary embolism after Dr Ali Uckan at Can Hastanesi Hospital accidentally injected fat into her veins in Izmir in August 2018.
She had three heart attacks on the operating table in the clinic while undergoing the Brazilian butt lift.
Senior coroner Kevin McLoughlin, who was investigating the deaths of both Craig and Leah, said he was outraged that the surgeon “had kept quite a distance” from the incident.
Mr McLoughlin issued a suicide sentence today, saying: ‘I am dependent on the pathologist for a cause of death, who is pending in this case.
“This was a suicide attributed in part to the death of his daughter who died during surgery in Turkey.”
And he said he plans to get Dr. Writing to Ali Uckan and the medical authorities in Turkey to make them aware of the ‘tentacles’ of grief that the botched operation has had.
Speaking to Craig’s bereaved daughters Chelsea and Hayley and his ex-partner Theresa Hall, Mr McLoughlin said today: “Normally I’m quite aloof and hard-hearted about inquests, but when I saw another tragedy befell your family, I felt quite sad.
“After conducting the research on Leah all those years ago, I was outraged that the surgeon in Turkey was completely free.
“I suggest sending the report to the surgeon to point out the tentacles of this.
“I intend to send it to the medical authorities in Turkey to make them aware of how a tragedy manifests itself years later.
“I feel terribly sorry for you as a family.”
Leah’s inquest learned that Dr Ali Uckan (pictured) had admitted the surgery was “a guessing game” to her widower Scott, who traveled to Turkey after hearing of her death. In an inquest into Leah’s death in 2019, senior coroner Mr McLoughlin branded the surgeon who performed the fatal surgery a “coward” for failing to answer her family’s questions
Leah Cambridge, a mother of three, suffered three heart attacks on the operating table at the clinic while undergoing the Brazilian butt lift procedure
Leah’s father Craig (pictured left) “never got over” the tragic passing of his daughter (center) three years ago. Her partner Scott Franks is on the right in the photo
The court was told that Craig, a former personal trainer, was found by his daughter Chelsea and her partner.
They had gone to visit him at his house on Monday, April 5, but the door was locked, so her partner climbed through a window to make the tragic discovery of Craig’s body.
Emergency services were called, but he was pronounced dead by paramedics at 7:50 PM.
The court heard that he had left notes for both his daughters indicating that he intended to commit suicide.
The investigation revealed that he had been under the care of a community mental health team and had been given antidepressants.
Tragically, the police discovered that he had tried three times on the morning of his death to call the doctors, but they were not open because it was a public holiday.
Craig had a history of anxiety and depression, which worsened after Leah’s death, and it was reported that he became dependent on alcohol after he turned to alcohol.
His daughter Leah had flown into the clinic in August 2018 – who also claimed to have worked with British TV personalities such as Lauren Goodger, Amber Dowding and Chloe Ferry – in August 2018.
The controversial procedure involves extracting fat from areas of the body and reinjecting it into the buttocks to improve shape.
Leah’s investigation revealed that Dr. Uckan had admitted the surgery was “a gambling game” against her widower Scott, who traveled to Turkey after learning of her death.
In an inquest into Leah’s death in 2019, Mr. McLoughlin branded the surgeon who performed the fatal surgery a “coward” for failing to answer her family’s questions.
Mr. McLoughlin said he called Dr. Ali Uckan had written eight times asking him to testify during the inquest, but he did not respond.
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