Victorian doctor charged with sexual assault and taking intimate photos
A doctor has been charged with sexually assaulting his patient and taking intimate photos of other women during consultations at a regional Victorian clinic.
The 68-year-old is accused of conducting a female health test on a patient at the Ely Street Clinic in Wangaratta in October without using surgical gloves, before police allegedly discovered inappropriate images of multiple female patients on his camera and computer.
The GP was suspended from practising medicine last year and was charged on Monday with sexual assault and capturing intimate images.
The investigation began after one of his alleged victims noticed camera equipment during a consultation and went to police, who notified the Australian health practitioner regulation agency.
Sign up to receive the top stories in Australia every day at noon
Additional victims were identified after a forensic examination of the computer and camera from the GP’s home, police said, with date and time stamps cross-checked against appointment records.
The alleged victims are all women and can expect to be contacted this week.
“It is likely that there are other victims who, again, may be unaware the offence has occurred,” Acting Supt Joy Arbuthnot said on Tuesday.
“I understand this will be incredibly difficult for our victims to hear and we are working with a range of other agencies to ensure the right support services are in place and they are given as much information as possible about the process from here.”
There was no evidence any other doctor or staff member at the clinic was involved, police said.
Women who have noticed “anything unusual about their interaction” with the GP are urged to phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
A doctor speaking on behalf of the clinic said the practice would be closed on Tuesday “to deal with the problem”.
“We do not have the complete details of this alleged offence and we are not in a position to discuss any aspects of this with anyone,” the clinic said.
The accused GP has been bailed to appear at Wangaratta magistrates’ court on 10 September.