SYDNEY, Australia - Police arrested a former gynaecologist on Wednesday and charged him with 17 counts of sexually assaulting and mutilating patients during surgery.
Imagine if a doctor telling you he's going to cut off your cock when you are falling asleep on anaesthesia?
More... text / pdf
1 comment:
Australian doctor charged with assaulting patients
10 September 2008
SYDNEY, Australia - Police arrested a former gynecologist on Wednesday and charged him with 17 counts of sexually assaulting and mutilating patients during surgery.
Graeme Reeves, 58, was arrested in Sydney following an investigation into 113 allegations of misconduct against at least 10 patients between 2001 and 2003 in Sydney and the southern New South Wales town of Bega.
Reeves, dubbed the “Butcher of Bega” by the Australian media, was charged with nine counts of aggravated sexual assault, six counts of indecent assault, one count of female genital mutilation and one count of maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm.
Reeves was expected to appear in court later Wednesday. If convicted on all charges, he faces life in prison.
“This is a unique and highly complex investigation being conducted by the NSW (New South Wales) Police Force,” Child Protection and Sex Crimes Squad Superintendent John Kerlatec said in a statement. “Today’s charges relate to reports submitted to police by 10 people, and are a testament of the courage demonstrated by these women who have bravely come forward to report such traumatic events.”
One patient, who underwent surgery in 2002 to remove a lesion from her labia, said that as she was falling asleep from general anesthesia before the operation, Reeves whispered to her that he planned to remove her clitoris. The woman said all her external genitalia were removed during the operation.
Reeves was appointed as a visiting medical officer in obstetrics and gynecology at Sydney’s Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital in 1985. Over the next 15 years, 35 complaints were lodged against him by co-workers and patients, including accusations that he bullied staff and failed to offer patients proper anesthesia and pain relief during procedures.
In 1997, a professional standards committee of the state’s medical board held an inquiry into Reeves’ conduct after one of his patients died of septicemia after giving birth because he refused to give her antibiotics. The board found him guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct and ordered him to stop practicing obstetrics _ though he was allowed to continue working as a doctor at various hospitals.
Reeves also was ordered to receive psychiatric treatment after the board determined he suffered from personality problems and depression that impaired his ability to practice medicine.
But Reeves continued to practice obstetrics. In 2004, his license was revoked for defying the board’s orders.
Police said additional details of the charges against Reeves would be revealed during his court appearance Wednesday.
Post a Comment