In short:
Chinese national Jie Shao has been jailed for seven years after performing a banned breast augmentation procedure in Sydney.
The procedure resulted in the death of unlicensed beauty clinic operator Jean Huang.
What's next?
Shao will be eligible for parole in December 2026.
A Chinese national has been sentenced to nearly seven years in prison after performing a banned breast augmentation procedure in Sydney, resulting in the death of the operator of an unlicensed beauty clinic.
Jie Shao, 40, was found guilty of manslaughter by a jury in March, following a NSW District Court trial.
That result came more than six years after the death of 35-year-old Jean Huang, who underwent a procedure at the Medi Beauty Clinic in Chippindale in August 2017.
The court heard Shao arrived from China four days prior to the procedure and while she had a medical degree, she was not registered as a doctor in either China or Australia.
Ms Huang, who operated the beauty clinic, had hyaluronic acid filler injected into her breasts — a procedure which the court heard is not legally allowed in Australia.
Shao injected Ms Huang with a substantial quantity of the local anaesthetic Lidocaine, which is commonly used but can be deadly if not administered properly.
Victim suffered cardiac arrest
Two experts told the trial that the appropriate level of Lidocaine is determined based on body weight and, based on the circumstances in this case, the 2,000 milligrams used was between 9.6 and 12.8 times the maximum safe dose.
"Any reasonable person in the circumstances would have realised this was dangerous," Judge Timothy Gartelmann said today during sentencing.
Ms Huang suffered a cardiac arrest due to an overdose with Lidocaine.
The court heard the clinic didn't have the required equipment, provisions or staff to perform the procedure, which should have included live monitoring equipment, oxygen, crash trolleys and at least two qualified nurses.
Judge Gartelmann said the evidence did not establish beyond reasonable doubt that Shao knew the clinic was unlicensed and lacking equipment.
But he said "the offender ought to have made enquiries about this if she did not know it".
The judge said the evidence did not confirm that Shao knew the signs of Lidocaine toxicity from her study, training or experience.
Defence said death was 'a terrible mistake'
Before the trial started, Shao offered to plead guilty to a lesser charge of recklessly administering a poison endangering life.
Her defence team told jurors the case involved complex issues and urged them to consider whether the death was "a terrible mistake" rather than manslaughter.
The judge sentenced Shao on the basis of manslaughter by an unlawful and dangerous act, finding it was a "moderately serious" example of that type of crime.
"The offender's plea to the alternative offence indicated some acceptance of responsibility for her actions," he said.
Shao told a psychologist she regretted her actions and blamed herself.
However, the judge noted there was also some evidence that she claimed she felt pressured into doing things or 'set up', and "minimised her responsibility for her actions".
Judge Gartelmann made a finding of remorse "albeit with some qualification" and said her prospects of rehabilitation appeared good.
Shao's maximum sentence of six years and nine months includes a 10 per cent reduction for the facilitation of justice that came with her plea to the alternative charge.
She was handed a non-parole period of three-and-a-half years, which means her earliest possible release date is in December 2026.
The judge found Shao's experience in custody has been more onerous due to mental health conditions and backdated the sentence to take into account pre-sentence custody and a period in immigration detention.