‘Anger, shame and betrayal’
Doctor admits sexually assaulting, recording secret videos of patients
A doctor who sexually assaulted his patients and secretly recorded videos of them during examinations at University of Ottawa Health Services clinics has been sentenced to eight years in prison.
Vincent Nadon of Chelsea pleaded guilty Wednesday to multiple counts of sexual assault and voyeurism at a court hearing that featured emotional statements from nearly a dozen of his victims.
Some wiped away tears as they described the devastating impact of the actions of their doctor.
Several women said they now had trouble trusting doctors or other authorities and were haunted by fears the videos might be circulating online.
The charges relate to 49 victims over a span of 28 years.
Crown Attorney Meaghan Cunningham said she was not aware of any other medical professional in Canada convicted in a sex-crime case with that many victims.
Nadon, 57, used a personal cellphone to make video recordings of 38 patients during medical examinations at the clinics, the court heard. In most cases, the women’s breasts were exposed, and the camera also captured them dressing and undressing.
Nadon sometimes moved the patients’ clothing to ensure the women’s breasts were in camera range. Police recovered videos from a hard drive at Nadon’s home.
The sexual assault charges relate to 21 patients involving events between 1990 and 2018.
Nadon touched the breasts of some patients — Justice Julie Bourgeois described it as “groping or cupping” — without their consent, for sexual purposes, according to the statement of facts.
In one case Nadon squeezed the nipples of a woman who was described as a new immigrant, asking her to get off the examination table, bend over and shake her breasts.
Nadon also performed pap smears with one hand ungloved, and in some case inserted his ungloved hand into patients’ vaginas, according to the statement. Nadon then went to a garbage can in the room and made a noise to make it seem like he was pulling off his gloves.
He also performed a medical exam that was described as being not necessary. Nadon asked a woman who came in for a psychological referral to remove her clothing and touched her naked body, the court heard.
Several women who gave victim-impact statements said Nadon was an excellent doctor and they were shocked when he was charged last January.
Victims told court they had been profoundly affected by Nadon’s crimes, describing feelings of powerlessness, embarrassment and even guilt.
One victim said police called her to view a video they had seized of an examination Nadon had conducted on her when she was pregnant. “I saw myself naked and exposed,” she said. “I wanted to be sick.”
Since then, she has not been able to go to another doctor, and is uncomfortable undressing, even in front of her husband, the woman said. The comfort and safety she once felt at home with the person she loves the most has been shattered, she said.
Several woman said they have become distrustful of men and fear being videotaped in other situations.
“I feel violated and betrayed,” said one woman who says she now looks for hidden cameras everywhere, is obsessed with locking doors, and has developed a medical condition that can be caused by stress.
Nadon, a tall, distinguished-looking man with white hair, read from a prepared statement that said he was profoundly sorry for his unethical behaviour and the pain he caused to so many.
“What I did was wrong and I deeply regret it.”
He deeply wounded his family and the “entire community,” said Nadon, his voice breaking at one point.
Nadon said he has a “serious problem” and is deeply motivated to seek help for it.
He has two teenage daughters and can’t imagine something like this happening to them, he said.
During the court proceedings, Nadon kept his head lowered most of the time and did not look directly at the spectators or the victims who read statements.
The Crown and defence made a joint submission for a sentence of eight years, less one year for time already served in custody.
Nadon’s actions represented a gross breach of trust, they agreed.
Nadon accepted responsibility and his guilty plea spared victims a trial, said his defence lawyer Dominic Lamb. Nadon has lost his family, many of his friends, and will probably never practise medicine again, Lamb said.
Nadon was charged last January after a patient discovered a cellphone partly hidden in a cupboard was recording her in the doctor’s office during a visit for a Pap smear.
When the woman confronted Nadon, the doctor claimed he was recording the exam for “training purposes,” according to police reports.
Police arrested Nadon the next evening in the parking lot of a grocery store in Chelsea after officers saw him throwing a garbage bag into a dumpster. Police seized a cellphone in a pink case and a badly damaged hard drive, then searched Nadon’s home, vehicles, two trailers on his property and a storage locker at his clinic.
He was charged with sexual assault and voyeurism.
That triggered a wider investigation, with more patients coming forward. More charges were laid against Nadon in February and May.
Nadon initially was granted bail after his wife and brother posted $10,000 each as sureties.
However, he has been in custody since he was last arrested in May and has not sought bail.
After the charges, the University of Ottawa Health Services removed Nadon from his post and banned him from practising at its four clinics. The College of Physicians and Surgeons suspended his licence to practise medicine.
Nadon treated students, faculty and members of the community at the University of Ottawa Health Services for more than 25 years.
The university has a contract with the clinics, which are independently owned and operated.
I saw myself naked and exposed. I wanted to be sick.