Doctor denies sexual assault allegations - trial continues at Waterford Circuit Court
The trial against a male doctor who is alleged to have sexually assaulted a female patient during a medical examination continues.
The trial against a male doctor who is alleged to have sexually assaulted a female patient during a medical examination continues.
It is alleged that on 17 April 2020, the complainant attended an appointment at a medical clinic in Co Waterford to treat pain in her foot.
She was called into a room by the doctor and was asked to lay down on a bench so that he could inspect her foot.
The woman alleges that at this point he began rubbing her inner thigh and grabbed and squeezed her breast.
She says that after the incident the doctor carried on with the examination of her foot as normal, providing her with three injections.
“It was as if nothing had happened,” she said.
Upon leaving the clinic she immediately informed her partner and her friend of the alleged incident.
The defendant, a consultant doctor with decades of experience, has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual assault.
The jury of five men and seven women have so far heard evidence from the complainant, her partner and her friend.
On day three of the trial at Waterford Circuit Court, a written memo of the defendant’s interview with gardaí following his arrest in September 2020 was read aloud for the jury.
In this interview, the man categorically denied the allegations made against him, saying he would not "jeopardise" his career in such "a wreckless way."
He added that being told by gardaí that he was being arrested on allegations of sexual assault was “a shocking thing to hear”.
He said that he sees approximately 20 patients per day at his clinic and has no specific recollection of having an appointment with the complainant in April 2020. During the interview with gardai he relied on notes that he took during the woman's appointment to answer questions.
He told gardaí about his knowledge of the complainant's medical history. He said her appointment lasted roughly 30 minutes.
The complainant has previously said that she believes she wasn’t charged in full for the injections she received during the appointment.
During his interview the defendant said it was normal for him not to charge some people for injections.
“I’m generous,” he said.
He described the complainant as being “vulnerable” and “severely distressed” at the time of the appointment.
When asked why the woman would make allegations against him, the defendant said: "No reason other than that she's in a very delicate state."
The trial continues.
The court hearing is ‘in-camera’. Names and specific locations have been redacted from this report to protect the identity of parties involved
Expanded coverage of the trial so far is available HERE
