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Allegations of Sexual
Abuse in NZ |
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A woman who was a close friend of
the New Plymouth doctor on trial for sexual offending says he touched her breast
while giving her acupuncture for a sore hand. She told the High Court at New
Plymouth yesterday that she had socialised with the doctor and his family
many times and so asked him if he could help her with a repetitive strain
injury to her hand. He suggested acupuncture. The woman (47) says she went to
the doctor's house in 1999 to have the procedure. During questions from Crown
prosecutor Justin Marinovich, the woman said she was shown to a room where
she removed her top, un-hooked her bra and lay face down on a bed. The doctor
then put the acupuncture needles in her upper back, neck, arm and hand. The woman says the doctor left the
needles in for 10 to 15 minutes and then returned to remove them, at the same
time massaging the area where the needles had been. "He was massaging my
shoulders and my back and I became aware that I could feel his hand going
under my body and I could feel his hand touching my breast and touching my
nipple," she said. The woman said he rolled her
nipple between his fingers. "I was feeling shocked and
incredulous really. He was someone that I thought I knew well and previously
respected, I just could not believe that someone like him could do something
like that." The woman is one of 12
complainants giving evidence in the trial, now in its second week. The doctor, who has name
suppression, denies the 37 sexual assault charges he faces dating from 1981
to 2002. The woman gave evidence that she
confided in a friend later that day when he noticed she was upset. She decided to have another
appointment with the doctor at his surgery to confirm what he had done to
her. The woman alleges during her
second appointment for acupuncture the doctor again touched her breast, but
she moved her arm so he could not continue and he then removed his hand. This time she felt angry, she
said. During cross-examination defence
counsel Susan Hughes asked, if she was sure the doctor had sexually assaulted
her, why would she return? The woman said she wanted to see
if he would do it again, which would be absolute confirmation. Ms Hughes asked the woman why she
turned down the offer of a chaperone during that visit. "My motivation in going back
was to see if he was going to do anything again." Another complainant giving
evidence yesterday said she saw the doctor for treatment for thrush in 1986. She told Crown prosecutor Cherie
Clarke that during an internal examination the doctor's actions stimulated
her. "I was disgusted at that
point. I told him to stop straight away." She said no samples were taken
that day. The woman told Ms Clarke she did
continue to see the doctor for a number of years afterwards because family
members believed he was a good doctor. "I was very naive back then
and I continued to stay with him. I changed doctors when I found out I was
pregnant." During cross-examination Ms Hughes
said the woman's medical notes showed that she returned to the doctor on
another 48 occasions. "You did see him about
intimate matters. You have sought his guidance and help on a number of things
that have happened in your life." The trial, which is likely to take
four weeks, continues today |
