Gold Coast surgeon faces charges for indecent treatment of young family member

A leading Gold Coast surgeon has been charged with a shocking crime against a young girl in his own family.

A prominent Gold Coast surgeon is accused of molesting a young female relative.

A leading Gold Coast surgeon has been charged with molesting a young family member.

The doctor, who runs a successful surgery practice on the Tourist Strip, stands accused of three counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16 in regards to a “lineal descendant” under the age of 12.

According to court documents obtained by The Courier-Mail, two of the charges stem from an alleged incident at a Gold Coast hinterland home on July 30 while a third is alleged to have taken place between January 1 and July 30 at the same address.

All three charges relate to a female family member under the age of 12.

He was arrested and taken into police custody before being granted bail in a court hearing at Southport on August 1.

As part of his bail conditions he has been banned from contacting the alleged victim and can have no unsupervised contact with any child under the age of 16.

He will reappear in Southport Magistrates Court in October, with police required to disclose the full brief of evidence against him by September 20.

He also faces a raft of possible professional sanctions, ranging from orders requiring him to see under-age patients with a chaperone, through to a permanent ban from practising medicine if found guilty.

Under law, registered health practitioners have an obligation to notify the national board of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency if a ‘relevant event’ has occurred – such as criminal charges which would carry a penalty of more than 12 months’ jail if found guilty.

Indecent treatment of a child under 12 carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the office of the Queensland Health Ombudsman said they were “aware of the recent court appearance (but) not able to comment on this individual matter at this time.”

Lawyers for the surgeon, from prominent Queensland law firm Howden Saggers, also said they were unable to comment on the case.