Miss Chester suffered significant motor and sensory disturbance in her lower body and limbs after a spinal operation carried out by the Defendant. She was a journalist who had suffered from persistent low back pain which had been treated conservatively for some years by a consultant rheumatologist. An MRI scan in October 1994 showed significant degeneration of her spinal disks and, despite a general aversion to surgery, she agreed to a consultation with Mr Afshar, a consultant neu-rosurgeon. Her evidence was that she approached the consultation as an advisory session rather than a discussion about proposed surgery. The consultation took place on 18 November 1994 when Mr Afshar viewed the MRI scan and formed the opinion that surgery to remove three disks was required. On the basis of his advice Miss Chester agreed to undergo the operation during his next available operating slot, three days later on 21 November 1994 at 7pm.
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