Trial into sexual assault allegations against doctor continues at Waterford court house
The man has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual assault, and a jury has been empanelled to determine a verdict.
A trial has commenced involving a male doctor who is alleged to have sexually assaulted a female patient during a medical examination at a clinic in Waterford.
The man has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual assault, and a jury has been empanelled to determine a verdict.
On April 17, 2020, the complainant attended an appointment at a medical clinic in Waterford to treat pain in her foot.
She arrived by car with her partner and two children and entered the clinic by herself.
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 her breast.
He then concluded the exam, giving her injections into her foot.
The complainant left the room, paid, and returned to the car, where she immediately told her husband what happened and texted a friend.
On day one and two of the trial in Waterford Circuit Court, Judge Eugene O’Kelly and the jury of five men and seven woman heard evidence from the complainant, her friend and her partner.
The court hearing is ‘in-camera’. Names and specific locations have been redacted from this report to protect the identity of parties involved.
The complainant stated during evidence that she suffered from chronic pain in her foot. She said that she felt uneasy upon entry to the clinic on April 17, 2020.
She said, “Nothing felt right from the minute I went into that building.”
She noted concern with elements of the building's interior and recounts that the doctor was dressed “very casual”.
“The whole setup was strange,” she said.
She said on the date that she attended the clinic she was already “very nervous” due to her fear of injections, and she recounts having cried in front of the doctor whilst talking to him about the pain in her foot.
The complainant said that whilst being treated, he began rubbing her inner thigh and grabbed and squeezed her breast.
It is alleged that the doctor said to her “well you have a warm heart anyway”.
She claims that she replied, “I can’t believe you did that.”
She says that after the incident, the doctor carried on with the examination of her foot.
“It was as if nothing had happened,” she said.
She was accompanied to the reception desk by the doctor after the treatment to pay for the injections. The complainant believes that she wasn’t charged in full.
After leaving the clinic, she returned to her vehicle and told her husband what happened. She also texted a friend to inform her.
She recounts having felt “shocked” and “traumatised” after the incident.
She later called a rape crisis line and attended a Garda station to make a statement.
Acting as counsel for the defendant, Ms Kathleen Leader SC, said during court proceedings that her client’s position was that he did not sexually assault the complainant and that in his interview with gardaí he categorically denied the allegations.
Ms Leader asked the complainant why she did not inform the receptionist about the incident after the medical exam had concluded. The complainant said the doctor walked with her to the desk and that she was relieved to just leave the building.
Ms Leader also asked why the text message exchange afterwards between the complainant and her friend contained “light-hearted” emojis.
The complainant said she was using humour as a “coping mechanism” whilst explaining the incident to her friend via the messages.
The complainant’s friend told the court that she was aware that the complainant was to be attending the clinic in Waterford on April 17, 2020, and received messages from her explaining the incident afterwards.
Her partner said that the complainant felt “trauma and shock” in the days after the alleged incident.
The trial continues.
