A woman whose genitals were removed by a rogue doctor has broken down outside a Sydney courtroom after facing the man she says devastated her life.
Struck-off NSW gynaecologist Graeme Stephen Reeves served just 18 months behind bars for the gross mutilation of his patient Carolyn DeWaegeneire in August 2002.
The rogue practitioner, who worked in Bega on the NSW south coast, surgically removed her clitoris and labia without consent during an operation on a pre-cancerous lesion.
He was sentenced to a maximum three-and-a-half years jail in 2011 but was released on parole from Sydney's Long Bay prison in December, sparking outrage among Ms DeWaegeneire's supporters and patient advocates.
Crown prosecutors want the 64-year-old put back behind bars for another year after previous rulings that his original sentence was "manifestly inadequate".
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Reeves and Ms DeWaegeneire, from Wolumla near Bega, sat within metres of each other during an appeal hearing at the NSW Court of Appeal on Friday.
It was adjourned until June 2 when Chief Justice Thomas Bathurst and justices Peter Hall and Robert Hulme are expected to hand down a decision.
"My life has been totally, totally devastated - totally," a tearful Ms DeWaegeneire said outside court after the hearing.
"I should be enjoying life as an older person - I'm not."
She described Reeves's original sentence as "the biggest joke of all time".
"I've got my medical records. I know damn well what I had before I went in (to hospital). I know damn well what he did."
During his trial, Reeves's lawyers argued the former doctor was saving Ms DeWaegeneire's life and rejected the crown's argument that he did not have consent to remove her genitals.
It's understood hundreds of other women have also complained about the former doctor.
The Department of Public Prosecutions revealed in November that a significant number of outstanding charges against Reeves, dating more than 20 years, had been dropped.
The allegations against Reeves were not pursued because of "insufficient evidence to ensure a reasonable prospect of conviction", NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith said.
Reeves' lawyer, Gabrielle Bashir, on Friday said her client was in poor health and suffering kidney disease and chronic depression, among other conditions, and argued he should not go back to jail.
Prosecutors tendered a doctors' report that stated his health conditions could be adequately treated in prison.
Reeves made no comment as he left the court.
