Hamilton doctor may lose license after sexual assault

A doctor who was sentenced for sexual assault of two of his patients may now also lose his medical license. The Hamilton doctor was originally sentenced in 2011 to 16 months in jail after he was convicted of the serious criminal allegations.

If the doctor is found to have “committed an act of professional misconduct by sexually abusing a patient,” a discipline panel will revoke the physician’s medical license. The disciplinary meeting is scheduled for May 22 and will be a one-day hearing. The doctor was found guilty of abusing two patients who were under anesthesia and of making a pornographic video of one of the women. The doctor’s license was previously suspended in 2008 when a fitness hearing panel determined that he was a sex addict and had abused medication.

The sexual abuse charges stem back to the 1990s when the doctor was in medical school. The first patient was admitted to a hospital for surgery when the doctor allegedly abused her as a resident at the hospital, according to the criminal allegations. The other patient was a suspected crack addict. After she was discharged from the hospital where the doctor worked, he went to her home and allegedly abused her when she was impaired by alcohol and drugs.

Individuals who are charged with sexual assault crimes may face long-term consequences, including the loss of a professional license. A Toronto criminal defence lawyer may be able to challenge the evidence presented or the way in which it was collected, clearing a wrongfully accused individual. The doctor in this case seems to have received a relatively shorter sentence than may be typical for such crimes. Sometimes, criminal defense attorneys are able to arrange for plea agreements for their clients that provide reduced sentences in exchange for pleading guilty, as may have been the case here.

Source: Sun News, “Ontario Doctor Convicted of Sexually Assaulting Patients Could Lose License,” Sam Pazanno, 5 April 2013