‘Kept going’: Woman accused of killing during catastrophic boob job

A woman is accused of making herself out to be a doctor and killing a woman during a breast augmentation procedure.

A Chinese woman accused of killing a patient during a breast augmentation continued with the procedure even after the woman began convulsing and foaming at the mouth, a court has been told.

Jie Shao, 40, has denied causing the death of beauty clinic manager Jean Huang and is standing trial in Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court.

Ms Shao has pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of using a poison to endanger life.

However, she is fighting the more serious charge of manslaughter relating to the death of Ms Huang, 35, during a procedure at the Medi Beauty Clinic in Chippendale in inner Sydney.

After undergoing the cosmetic procedure inside her own salon on August 30, 2017, Ms Huang began convulsing, foaming at the mouth and went into cardiac arrest, the court was told.

She was rushed to hospital but was declared brain dead and her life support was turned off two days later.

Crown prosecutor Sara Gul told the court that it was alleged that Ms Shao administered painkiller, Tramadol, a breast filler and a fatal overdose of a local anaesthetic, Lidocaine, to Ms Huang.

Jie Shao is standing trial in the NSW District Court. Picture: NCA News Wire / Adam Yip

Ms Gul, during her closing address on Monday morning, told the jury that even according to Ms Shao’s version of events, she administered a dose of Lidocaine that was up to several times more than the safe limit.

She said that the amount of painkiller injected had the “clear and obvious potential for deadly consequences”.

The court was told that after Ms Shao injected two syringes of Lidocaine, Ms Huang began slurring her words and appeared sleepy.

“And the accused kept going, kept injecting this Lidocaine into her,” Ms Gul said.

“By syringe number five … she was making no sense at all. And then it seems within minutes she was out cold, then started convulsing, foaming or secretions at the mouth, and as we know she never woke up again.

“And what did the accused do at this point? Nothing, sped up injecting those fillers into her.”

Ms Gul said Ms Huang was at that stage displaying “textbook signs” of Lidocaine toxicity.

“And here was Jean Huang, commencing her journey out of life, and the accused for some time did nothing,” Ms Gul said.

“Not one single thing. Kept injecting her with filler.”

Jean Huang died after undergoing a procedure at her Chippendale clinic. Picture: Facebook

The court was told that Ms Shao arrived in Australia, via Melbourne, a few days before the procedure, with the Crown alleging she made herself out to be a doctor.

The court was told that while she had a degree from the Guangdong Medical University in China, she was not registered as a practising doctor in Australia or China.

Ms Gul told the court that she lied to the police about being a doctor in her statement and record of interview.

She pointed to WeChat messages, which she says showed that the procedure was discussed between Ms Huang and Ms Shao and that it was pre-planned.

Ms Huang was a part-owner and operated the Chippendale beauty clinic and was put in touch with Ms Shao via a sister clinic in Melbourne.

Ms Gul described Ms Shao’s actions as unlawful and dangerous or “so obviously criminally negligent that it warrants criminal punishment”.

The court was told that Medi Beauty did not have the emergency measures required under Australian law to perform such a breast augmentation procedure.

The trial is due to conclude in the coming days with closing submissions from Ms Shao’s barrister Winston Terracini SC.

Mr Terracini has previously told the court that Ms Shao was asked to do the procedure and played no role in running the clinic.

He previously argued that Ms Shao asked for the drugs to be made up, and a nurse provided them to her.

The trial before Judge Timothy Gartelmann continues.

Originally published as ‘Kept going’: Woman accused of killing during catastrophic boob job