A British cosmetic surgeon carried out a penis enlargement on a patient which left it shorter and disfigured, the General Medical Council has heard.

Dr Ravi Kant Agarwal, of Stockport, Greater Manchester, was advertised as the UK's leading expert in the field of penis enlargement.

According to the advert in Men's Health Magazine, he was described as having "unrivalled experience" of carrying out the "unique and exclusive" operation.

It claimed not only to increase the length of the penis by one to three inches, but also to increase the girth by between 30% and 90% as an added "complement".

The 47-year-old potential patient, Mr A, sent off for more information and received literature which said "since the dawn of humanity" there had been the "unobtainable dream for men to be better endowed". "Now you can have that dream come true."

David Enoch, for the GMC, said the £3,250 procedure involved fat being taken from areas such as the stomach and thighs and injected into the shaft of the penis to increase the girth. He said it was claimed the length of the male organ was increased by dividing the suspensory ligament to make the penis hang lower.

Mr Enoch told the hearing: "It hardly ever works. The fat is often absorbed so [there is] either no improvement or the patient is left with a lumpy and irregular penis.

Mr Enoch said Dr Agarwal worked in Harley Street and at the Castlefield Clinics in Manchester. It was to the Manchester clinic that Mr A went on May 2 1997.

Mr A met Dr Agarwal, who convinced him the operation would be a success and improve his sex life. Mr Enoch said: "This man had a perfectly-sized penis to begin with. There was no increase in the length of the penis - in fact he thought it was shorter."

Dr Agarwal denies serious professional misconduct.