Sadly, it’s often not the case that “as ye sew, so shall ye reap.” The latest case involves a Canterbury, New Zealand doctor. He began treating a 13-year-old girl, who then began babysitting his children. When the girl was 16, she was raped. Not surprisingly, the girl’s mother took her to this doctor after the rape. As reported in The New Zealand Herald:
A sexual relationship developed with the doctor and lasted for about three months in 1985.
So this man preys on his patient, a 16-year-old rape victim whose mother placed her trust in him. Surely this man had his medical license revoked? Nope. After being found guilty of “disgraceful conduct,” his license wasn’t even suspended! And, his name will remain a secret! Here’s his “punishment”:
… he has been censured by the Medical Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal which fined him the maximum $1000.
The GP was also required to be mentored by a health professional for three years and ordered to pay $62,666.86 in costs.
How could he get off with a slap on the wrist for this abominable conduct?
The tribunal in its decision said there was no evidence the doctor had behaved inappropriately before or since.
It said the “proved conduct of the charge (was) entirely out of character” and granted the doctor permanent name suppression.
The victim, Ms. A, has it exactly right:
“The argument seems to be that seeing as he got away with it for so long, he might as well get away with it forever.”
May fate serve up a dose of justice for the doctor. Here’s the source.