Unqualified doctor bailed on manslaughter charge relating to botched breast surgery

DETAILS about the botched breast surgery that killed a Sydney woman have emerged as the unqualified doctor who performed it was bailed on manslaughter charge.

Jean Huang died after a botched breast procedure.

A CHINESE doctor charged with manslaughter after a botched breast surgery at a Sydney beauty clinic has been granted bail.

Jia Shao, 34, had been in custody since early September last year after she was arrested over the death of Jean Huang, 35, the part owner of the clinic where the botched surgery was carried out.

Justice Natalie Adams granted Shao bail this morning, noting she would now likely be detained at Villawood Immigration Detention Centre. Her co-accused, nurse Yueqiong Fu, 29, is also detained there after she was released on bail last September.

Shao had only been in the country a few days when she allegedly administered tramadol and lidocaine before injecting breast fillers at the Chippendale clinic.

Ms Huang was rushed to hospital and was initially revived, but she died two days later in Royal Prince Alfred Hospital without regaining consciousness.

The NSW Supreme Court hearing heard a panicked Ms Huang bolted upright in pain during the procedure.

“I can still feel pain, put on another bag of [painkiller] Tramadol,” Justice Adams said.

Despite nearly six months passing since Ms Huang’s death, the cause of death is still unknown.

Jean Huang died two days after the botched surgery.

“One of the complicating features ... is there is still no autopsy report indicating what the cause of death was and may not be for many months,” Justice Adams said.

A neuropathologist was yet to examine brain samples and then the autopsy report would have to be peer-reviewed.

Justice Adams said there were four possible reasons for Ms Huang’s death.

The first was analgesics given to Ms Huang “who had indicated she did not have a good tolerance of pain and insisted on more analgesics”.

Other possible reasons included a local anaesthetic, the infills injected into her breasts, or possibly due to medication she took before the operation.

Ms Huang and Jia Shao met through a mutual friend.

As paramedics intubated her as they fought to save her life, Ms Huang vomited small white capsules, which possibly may have been sleeping tablets.

Justice Adams said the judge who bailed the co-accused Fu found the crown case wasn’t “particularly strong”, partly because there was still no cause of death identified.

“The strength of the crown case is unable to be determined,” she said.

She granted bail on several conditions which include daily reporting to police, a curfew, not contacting witnesses and $20,000 surety.

Shao is a qualified doctor in China but holds no Australian qualifications. The court heard she had performed “many” procedures before the one on Ms Huang.

Police allege Shao and Ms Huang met through a mutual friend and the pair agreed Shao would carry out the procedure at the clinic that Ms Huang managed.

Jia Shao has been granted bail.

Ms Huang asked for more pain relief during the procedure.

Allegations in court documents state “Jie Shao did cause the death of Jean Huang in circumstances amounting to manslaughter”, adding that she “injected Jean Huang with varying amounts of anaesthetic in the form of tramadol and lidocaine and the restricted substance hyaluronic acid”.

Shao allegedly admitted to administering some anaesthetic and the breast fillers but denied giving in Ms Huang tramadol.

Police said she also had flights booked to return to China the day after Ms Huang’s procedure.

Shao returns to court in May.

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