Father took his life after death of daughter from a botched bum lift as ‘he couldn’t get over loss’

A father took his own life after he couldn’t get over the death of his daughter, who died after a botched ‘Brazilian bum lift’ surgery in Turkey in 2018, an inquest heard.

Craig Cambridge, 51, was found hanged at his home in Leeds, West Yorkshire, last April after his life ‘sprialled downwards’ – three years after his daughter Leah, 29, died when the operation went wrong.

An inquest into his death heard he was never able to 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 dependency in the years after his daughter’s death, the inquest heard.

Leah Cambridge (right) from Leeds, died on the operating table in 2018 after a Brazilian bum lift surgery. Her father (left) passed away three years after. A senior coroner ruled: ‘This was a suicide attributed in part to the death of his daughter who died in surgery in Turkey’

Leah Cambridge, 29, passed away after a cosmetic operation to lift her bottom in 2018. Doctors and nurses at the Turkish clinic were unable to save her

Wakefield Coroners Court heard today how the partner of his daughter Chelsea Cambridge found his lifeless body in his house 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 at the clinic while undergoing the Brazilian bum lift procedure.

Senior coroner Kevin McLoughlin, who conducted inquests into both Craig and Leah’s deaths, said he was incensed the surgeon had ‘stood well clear’ of the incident.

Returning a verdict of suicide today, Mr McLoughlin said: ‘I am reliant on the pathologist for the cause of death, which in this case is hanging.

‘This was a suicide attributed in part to the death of his daughter who died in surgery in Turkey.’

And he said he intends to write to Dr Ali Uckan and the medical authorities in Turkey to make them aware of the ‘tentacles’ of grief the botched surgery has had.

Addressing Craig’s heartbroken daughters Chelsea and Hayley and his ex-partner Theresa Hall today, Mr McLoughlin said: ‘Normally I am quite detached and hard-hearted about inquests, but when I saw another tragedy had befallen your family, I felt quite grievous.

‘Having conducted the inquest into Leah all those years ago, I was incensed that the surgeon in Turkey stood well clear.

‘I am proposing to send the report to the surgeon to make him aware of the tentacles of this.

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‘I am intending to send it to the medical authorities in Turkey to make them aware of how a tragedy manifests itself years later.

‘I feel dreadfully sorry for you as a family.’

Leah’s inquest heard Dr Ali Uckan (pictured) had admitted the operation ‘is a guessing game’ to her widower Scott, who travelled to Turkey after hearing of her death. At an inquest into Leah’s death in 2019, senior coroner Mr McLoughlin branded the surgeon who carried out the fatal operation a ‘coward’ for not answering her family’s questions

Leah Cambridge, a mother of three, had three heart attacks on the operating table at the clinic while undergoing the Brazilian bum lift procedure

Leah’s father Craig (pictured left) ‘never got over’ the tragic passing of his daughter (centre) three years ago. Her partner Scott Franks is pictured right

The court was told Craig, a former personal trainer, was found by his daughter Chelsea and her partner.

They had gone to see him at his house on Monday, April 5, but the door was locked so her partner climbed through a window only to make the tragic discovery of Craig’s body.

Paramedics were called, but he was pronounced dead at 7.50pm by the ambulance crew.

The court heard he left notes for both his daughters indicating that he had intended to take his own life.

The inquest heard he had been under the care of a community mental health care team and was given anti-depressants.

Tragically, police found that he had tried to call the doctors three times on the morning of his death but they were not open because it was a Bank Holiday.

Craig had a history of anxiety and depression, which was made worse after Leah’s death and after turning to drink he became dependent on alcohol, it was heard.

His daughter Leah had flown to the clinic – which also claimed to have worked with UK 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 re-injecting it into the buttocks to enhance its shape.

Leah’s inquest heard Dr Uckan had admitted the operation ‘is a guessing game’ to her widower Scott, who travelled to Turkey after hearing of her death.

At an inquest into Leah’s death in 2019, Mr McLoughlin branded the surgeon who carried out the fatal operation a ‘coward’ for not answering her family’s questions.

Mr McLoughlin said he wrote to Dr Ali Uckan eight times to ask him to give evidence at the inquest, but he did not respond.

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