Faulty breast implant boss jailed for four years

A court in Marseille sentenced Jean-Claude Mas to four years in prison. Credit: PA

The head of a French company which sold 300,000 faulty PIP breast implants has been jailed for four years.

Jean-Claude Mas was accused of aggravated fraud for using industrial-grade silicone in the implants, and was also fined 75,000 euros (£63,000) by the court..

Four other executives responsible for selling the implants were sentenced alongside Mr Mas receiving sentences between one and a half and three years in prison.

"It's a strong signal. This decision is what victims were waiting for," said one of their lawyers, Philippe Courtois.

But not all victims were happy with the verdict. Leesa Goodway from Wickwar, South Gloucestershire called the sentence length "disgusting".

Dan Rivers reports:

An estimated 300,000 women have been given the implants across 65 countries, including around 47,000 in the UK.

The implants have been off the market since March 2010 after concerns were raised.