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Allegations of Sexual
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Details of female anatomy and
descriptions of how intimate medical examinations are carried out took up
much of the day in the High Court at New Plymouth yesterday as the trial of a
local doctor continues. Crown witness Ian St George was on
the stand for most of the day as an expert witness in the case. A Wellington
medical practitioner, Dr St George provided the jury with details of specific
medical procedures conducted on women, what the procedures might be looking
for and how they could be done. Dr St George is one of the final
witnesses for the Crown, with its case expected to conclude this morning. On trial is a New Plymouth doctor
who faces 37 charges of sexual offending on 12 female patients between 1982
and 2001. The doctor, whose identity is suppressed, denies all the charges. During cross-examination by
defence counsel Harry Waalkens, QC yesterday, Dr St George was questioned
about his evidence on Monday when he said that breast examinations during
pregnancy did not provide any useful information. "You know that there are text
books and publications on this very topic," Mr Waalkens said. Mr Waalkens put to Dr St George
that the enlarged area around the nipple was a reliable sign of early
pregnancy, particularly in a woman's first pregnancy. "I agree that used to be said
and probably continues to be said in text books. It is said that it is
so," Dr St George said. Mr Waalkens made the point that if
text books said that, then he could not criticise a doctor for using those
techniques. Dr St George explained to the
court how an internal examination of a woman's vagina would be carried out
and the movement of the fingers as the doctor methodically checked the organ.
"To conduct the examination properly,
it would be prudent for the doctor to eyeball the patient to see if they are
registering pain or discomfort," Mr Waalkens asked. "Correct," replied Dr St
George. He agreed doctors could conduct
the examinations in varying ways and it could be possible to inadvertently
brush a woman's clitoris during the procedure. Dr St George said while he would
conduct an internal examination with his thumb tucked into his palm – to
avoid any accidental touching of the clitoris – he had seen doctors do it with
their thumb elevated. "But there is no stock
standard way," Mr Waalkens said. The final Crown witness, the
officer in charge of the case, Detective Sergeant Debbie Gower, will be
called today and then the defence will begin. Justice Priestley told the jury
yesterday that it was too soon to say if the trial would be completed by the
end of next week |
