THREE women suffered “severe” facial injuries after being injected with a substance they were told was Botox by a man who had no medical qualifications, a court has heard.

Each of the complainants was caused grievous bodily harm after being administered with the substance by Ozan Melin, prosecutors allege.

One, Jozette Sheppard, was left unable to “eat, speak or smile properly” for six months, while another, Carol Kingscott, was left unrecognisable when her face swelled, it was heard.

Melin, 41, denies three counts of causing grievous bodily harm and three of fraud.

Prosecutors claim the defendant, of Pole Hill Road in Uxbridge, Middlesex, told complainants he was a cosmetic surgeon who had trained in the Turkish military and in America. He is not registered with the General Medical Council, it was said.

Lisa Bolster, 50, who was his wife at the time of the alleged offences, denies three counts of fraud and one of unauthorised use of a trademark. Bolster, of the Huntick Estate in Lytchett Matravers, allegedly arranged appointments.

During the first day of a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court today, complainant Marcelle King told jurors she felt as if she had been “burned with cigarette ends” after being administered with injections to her jaw and forehead in Poole.

When she texted a photograph of her blistered face to Melin, he told her to “put a warm flannel on and take paracetamol,” she alleged. She later went to A&E, where she was told she was having an anaphylactic reaction and put on a drip, she said.

Mrs King had two sets of injections in July 2013 after the first allegedly failed to have an effect.

“I [asked], ‘You’re going to use the fine needles I’ve seen in photos?’” Mrs King said.

“He held up what looked to me like a canine vaccination needle and said, ‘These are better.’”

She told jurors the injections were “very painful”, but said Melin, who wiped his nose after putting on surgical gloves, told her: “No pain, no gain.”

Simon Jones, prosecuting, said Ms Kingscott and Ms Sheppard were injected by Melin in Bristol in November 2011. Both also had two sets of injections after the first failed to have an effect, it was said.

Mr Jones told the court Ms Sheppard was “not able to eat, speak or smile properly for about six months, and was left with a permanent dimple of her face” as a result of the treatment.

“This involved reckless use of an unknown and extremely dangerous substance into people who were led to believe in [Melin’s] medical competence,” the barrister said.

In 2014, police raided Bolster’s home and found nine glass vials labelled ‘Botox’ in her freezer, it was heard.

The company responsible for making Botox - Allergan Ltd - tested the substances in the vials, and found they were counterfeit, Mr Jones alleged. The trial continues.