Central Coast doctors, nurses and carers who have behaved badly
They’re in positions of absolute trust and care for some of the most vulnerable. But a tiny minority of health professionals go off the rails. Here’s some of the Central Coast’s worst offenders.
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From pharmacists and nurses stealing opioid medication to feed addictions to handsy doctors and physiotherapists, this list unveils what sometimes goes on behind the medical curtain.
NURSE MEGAN JEFFREY STOLE MORPHINE
A Wyong Hospital surgical nurse made an “appalling lapse of judgment” when she began swapping morphine for saline-filled syringes to self-medicate a back injury.
Megan Victoria Jeffrey, 47, of Gorokan, wrecked a 20-year career when she pleaded guilty to one count of larceny as a public servant stealing 60mg of morphine and 6mg of hydromorphone between December 8 and January 17, last year.
She also pleaded guilty to making a false or misleading entry in the hospital’s drugs of addiction registry, which is an offence under poisons and therapeutic goods regulations.
A further 17 charges of larceny, making false statements and self-administering a restricted substance were withdrawn and dismissed.
Jeffrey would go to the sink in the medication room and draw a syringe with morphine.
With a sleight of hand she would swap that syringe with another syringe filled with saline in her pocket she had prepared earlier.
A Magistrate described her as a “good women” but had made “such an appalling lapse of judgement”.
Jeffrey was convicted and put on a community corrections order for two years with 250 hours of community service.
NURSE LISA ROBSON ASSAULTED DISABLED PATIENT
A cranky and depressed nurse of more than 40 years was convicted of `abhorrent’ treatment of a disabled patient.
Lisa Robson, of Umina Beach, celebrated her 60th birthday with a conviction at Gosford Local Court after pleading guilty to two counts of common assault.
The court heard she was working in a group home when she forced medication down the throat of a 63-year-old disabled woman in a wheelchair who suffered from dementia and dysphagia, which means she had trouble swallowing food.
Robson was seen and heard yelling a number of times at the patient, calling her a “bitch” and telling colleagues she wanted “to bash her” in January and February this year.
She also slapped her on the arm.
Robson was convicted in July 2021 and placed on a conditional release order for 18 months.
CARER ADAM LEDGERWOOD HAD SEX WITH DISABLED PATIENT
A disability support carer, who had sex with his client on three occasions, told her she could be his “f**k buddy.
Adam Ledgerwood, 42, of Halekulani, Mr Ledgerwood, 42, pleaded guilty to three counts of having sex with a person with a cognitive impairment who was under his care.
An agreed set of court facts state that the client suffered a cognitive impairment which had deteriorated in 2018 to the point where she was deemed “totally disabled” and needed help with daily living.
Ledgerwood was hired to take her shopping and to medical appointments, help prepare meals and do household chores three days a week for four hour shifts.
In April 2019 Ledgerwood had sex with her three times on separate occasions before she told another support worker who advised her to go to the police.
“The complainant did not say yes or no,” an agreed set of facts states.
Ledgerwood will be sentenced in the Sydney Downing Centre District Court in August.
HANDSY DR FADY MALAK RUBBED PATIENT’S BUM
A married Egyptian-born doctor was depressed but felt a rush of excitement when he touched a female patient on the bum.
Dr Fady Malak, 38, of Erina, pleaded guilty to sexual touching after rubbing a patient’s buttocks and kissed her neck before she said “You idiot, what did you do that for?”.
Dr Malak was practising at West Gosford on October 2, 2020, when he “totally misread” the situation with a patient he had been treating for a few years and thought she was attracted to him.
While he was treating her for a hip condition he got her to lie on her side and pull her underwear down before lubricating his gloves and massaging her buttocks.
When she sat up he leaned in a kissed her on the neck before she admonished him and later wore a listening device to help police secure a conviction.
Dr Fady was suspended from practising and sentenced to an intensive corrections order for 14 months with 100 hours of community service.
PHYSIO YOUNGJIN JUNG TOUCHED PATIENT’S BREASTS
A Umina Beach physiotherapist Youngjin Jung was jailed for 3½ years for groping six female patients.
However Youngjin Jung, then 36, was found not guilty of one charge of having sexual intercourse without consent with a patient at his Ocean Beach Rd practice in mid-2014.
Jung pleaded guilty to seven counts of indecent assault and was sentenced to five years’ jail with a non-parole period of 3½ years.
“Conduct was not in any way related to therapeutic treatment,” Judge Clive Jeffreys said in handing down his sentence.
“It was undertaken by the offender for sexual gratification.
“In my view he seriously abused the trust placed in him.”
The court heard Jung, a married father-of-two from South Korea, massaged the breasts, pubic bone area and genitalia of his victims while treating them, often saying it would assist them in their recoveries.
CHIROPRACTOR CHRIS NELSON’S RACIAL ATTACK ON SENATOR
It is never a good idea to go on Facebook after a skinful of grog and start espousing your political views.
But that’s exactly what Woy Woy chiropractor and disgraced Liberal Party branch secretary Chris Nelson did when he got behind his keyboard and gave former Olympian and retiring Senator Nova Peris a vicious, unprovoked and racially motivated rant in 2016.
The then 64-year-old called Ms Peris a “black c…”.
“Go back to the bush and suck on witchity (sic) grubs and yams. Stop painting your f***ing face with white s*** in parliament. Other than being a runner you are nothing,” he wrote.
In a further post he said he was not sorry for his earlier remarks.
“Why don’t you go and spend some time at Arrakun with the rest of your Abo mates belting the crap out of one another?” he wrote.
Nelson pleaded guilty and narrowly avoided jail when he was given an eight-month suspended sentence.
NURSE SARAH GAHAN PUNCHED BOY, 12, LIED
A Central Coast nurse convicted of assaulting a 12-year-old child who she punched in the face during a drunken incident had her registration cancelled and was ordered to pay major legal costs.
From 1988 to January 2019, veteran nurse Sarah Gahan worked for Central Coast Local Health District at Gosford Hospital as well as a series of private facilities and nursing homes on the Central Coast and across Sydney.
In January 2019, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency was notified by NSW Police Gahan was being investigated for having provided a false National Police Certificate to her employer.
The woman appeared before the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) in March and April this year following allegations she provided fake criminal checks following her June 2007 convictions of two counts of common assault.
Gahan was also convicted of driving with mid-range prescribed concentration of alcohol after she was arrested and charged while on her way to pick up her children from school in June 2007.
On January 14 2008, June 15 2009 and again on April 23 2010, the nurse was convicted for knowingly contravening an ADVO before she was hit with two convictions in March 2013 including another breach of an ADVO and stalk or intimidate with the intention of causing a person to fear physical or mental harm.
On April 12 the tribunal found the nurse had been convicted of criminal offences and was guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct and professional misconduct.
On May 19, the NCAT ordered Ms Gahan to pay 80 per cent of the HCCC legal costs.
FAKE INDIAN DOCTOR SHYAM ACHARYA PRACTISED FOR 11 YEARS
In what was described as a “shoddy Down Under version of Leonardo Di Caprio’s Catch Me if You Can” an Indian man stole a doctor’s identity and falsely practised medicine in Australia for 11 years before going on the run.
Shyam Acharya allegedly stole medical qualifications while living in India and used these and other fraudulent documents to falsely gain registration with the Medical Board of NSW in 2003.
He then went on to work as a junior doctor at Manly, Hornsby, Wyong and Gosford hospitals between 2003 and 2014.
He was also granted Australian citizenship — all in the name of the other doctor Sarang Chitale.
Acharya fled Australia before his scam was uncovered in early 2017.
Acharya was fined $30,000 in his absences and the state government managed to claw back $539,000 from his assets, including about $400,000 of his share of a home in North Ryde as well as $139,000 in superannuation from an account he set up in the name of Dr Chitale.
Acharya’s wife — who investigators believe knew nothing of her husband’s fraud — will retain half the value of the home.
The real Dr Chitale, a qualified specialist living in the UK, also knew nothing of his former friend’s fraud.
DISABILITY DRIVER GREGORY ROWE TOUCHED PATIENT
A community transport driver was sentenced to a 15-month intensive corrections order after kissing an intellectually disabled woman on the lips before rubbing her breasts and crotch.
Gregory John Rowe, 59, pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated indecent assault of a person with a cognitive impairment.
Mr Rowe, from East Gosford, was employed with a community transport service and would take his 40-year-old victim to special needs and education programs.
In October 2018 he picked the victim up to take her to a special needs program at Kariong, however GPS records revealed that on his way he diverted to Mount Penang Gardens.
“At this time the offender kissed the victim on her lips,” the facts stated.
He dropped the victim to her program late at 9.14am and then returned to collect her at 2.30pm on the same day.
The GPS revealed that the vehicle diverted to a secluded area on Silvesters Rd in Somersby and remained there for just under an hour.
“During this period the offender parked the vehicle, climbed into the rear of the vehicle and undid the victim’s seatbelt,” the facts read.
“The offender then kissed the victim on her mouth and placed his hand on her breast. The offender then placed his hand on her groin area rubbing around her vagina.”
That night the victim told her mother what had happened and she made a complaint to the transport company which immediately contacted the police.
Magistrate Jennifer Price said the offence was aggravated by the abuse of trust.
“What is clear is that there was a relationship of trust between you and the victim,” she said.
“You were in a position of responsibility over her. There is a vulnerable community of people accessing the services of your employer.”
Rowe was also given 200 hours of community service.
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