'Lip King' banned twice before woman's BBL death

A cosmetic practitioner arrested after the death of a mother-of-five had been banned from carrying out liquid Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) procedures in two other parts of England, the BBC has learned.

Jordan Parke, known as the "Lip King", faced enforcement action in Dudley and Greater Manchester before treating Alice Webb in Gloucester in 2024.

Webb's former partner, Ben Kingscote, said the case highlighted gaps in regulation and called for a national system to prevent practitioners operating elsewhere.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said ministers would consult on tougher measures covering high-risk cosmetic procedures, including liquid BBLs.

A BBL is a non-surgical cosmetic procedure in which dermal fillers are injected into the buttocks to alter their size or shape.

Kingscote said Webb, from Wotton-under-Edge in Gloucestershire, would not have undergone the procedure had she known about the previous enforcement action.

"If Alice had known about these prohibition orders she wouldn't have had it done," he said.

"Her kids were everything to her. She adored her kids. She wouldn't have done something that would have jeopardised that."

Gloucestershire Police had been investigating the death of Webb, 33, who died in hospital after becoming unwell following the treatment.

In October, a BBC investigation reported Parke, 34, had been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with her death but had not been charged.

Parke, who had appeared on television shows to talk about his work, died in February in an unrelated incident which is believed to have happened after he underwent a cosmetic procedure.

Gloucestershire's senior coroner said Webb's inquest would likely take place in front of a jury in the autumn.

The BBC has now learned concerns about Parke's practice were first raised in Dudley in 2019.

Dudley Council issued a prohibition order in 2023 preventing him from carrying out liquid BBL procedures in the area.

A second prohibition order was issued in Salford in February 2024.

Kingscote said the local restrictions did not prevent Parke from continuing to work elsewhere and he should have been banned nationally.

"The agencies in Dudley and Salford issued him with prohibition orders.

"He was prohibited from doing this in those parts of the country but that didn't stop him from moving down here to Gloucester.

"If a procedure is dangerous in one part of the country it's dangerous in all parts of the country."

Kingscote, who is the father of Alice's eldest daughter, said the family's loss continued to be felt every day.

"The hardest bit by far was telling the kids," he said. "You think about it all the time. It never goes away. But Alice should be here to see the achievements they're making. She would be so proud.

"My daughter's mum should still be here - Alice should still be here."

He said he and Alice's daughter Delsie, 17, had wanted to make sure she felt present at her prom so ensured she was in the photographs.

Kingscote believes the case demonstrates the need for a national approach to regulating high-risk cosmetic procedures.

Patient safety organisation Save Face said it had repeatedly warned ministers that stronger regulation was needed.

Co-founder Ashton Collins said: "Since 2023 we have been campaigning for a national law that would make it illegal for anyone other than a GMC-registered plastic surgeon to carry out liquid BBLs and other high-risk body contouring procedures.

"Our proposal is simple: a clear, nationwide offence that applies to all providers, not piecemeal local action."

She added: "We warned government repeatedly that without such legislation someone would die.

"In 2024 that prediction became a reality when Alice Webb tragically and needlessly lost her life."

Save Face has warned of an increase in serious complications linked to BBL procedures, including infections, sepsis and abscesses requiring hospital treatment.

The organisation has called for the procedure to be banned outside regulated medical settings.

Last year, the government announced plans that would mean only qualified healthcare professionals could carry out high-risk procedures such as non-surgical BBLs.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "We are taking action to crack down on cosmetic cowboys and root out dangerous practices."

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