Doctor Yumiko Kadota charged with property damage and stealing

A respected doctor accused of spraying a bottle of urine all over her ex’s Sydney apartment – causing up to $10,000 damage – made a bid to be dealt with under mental health legislation

Yumiko Kadota at Downing Centre Local Court.

A respected cosmetic physician allegedly sprayed an orange sports bottle full of urine all over her ex’s apartment and stole his wine, gin and vacuum after they broke up, a court has heard.

Yumiko Kadota, 35, was charged with destroying or damaging property and stealing from a home after she attended her former partner’s Sydney property on December 19 last year.

Kadota is a qualified doctor who currently works as a cosmetic physician and wrote a memoir titled Emotional Female about her experience of toxic overwork culture as a junior doctor.

Police allege Kadota entered the property with a sports bottle in a plastic bag, then sprayed urine over the couch, carpet, stairs, and bed.

It is further alleged Kadota then stole two bottles of wine, a bottle of gin, and her ex’s vacuum.

Yumiko Kadota at Downing Centre Local Court.

At Downing Centre Local Court on March 8, the Chatswood woman sought to have the matter dealt with under mental health legislation, without making any admissions to the police allegations.

Magistrate Susan Horan described the alleged behaviour – which occurred when the man was not at the address – as “rather bizarre”.

“She (allegedly) produced a large bottle containing urine, and she poured it over the couch, the carpet, the stairs, and bed, going to great lengths including taking a pillow out of the cover, pouring urine over it and putting it back in,” Ms Horan read from the police allegations.

“She is said to have spent 30 minutes doing this.”

Ms Horan said the total value of the damage – allegedly caused by Kadota – was between $6000 and $10,000.

Yumiko Kadota at Downing Centre Local Court.

Kadota’s solicitor William Vahl told the court she was suffering from a long term depressive disorder when the alleged conduct occurred.

The court heard Kadota continues to engage with her long term psychologist and is undertaking a domestic violence education program with Relationships Australia.

“It’s completely bizarre, aberrant alleged conduct for someone in my client’s position and background,” Mr Vahl told the court.

A police prosecutor did not oppose the matter being dealt with by discharging Kadota into the care of her health practitioners.

Yumiko Kadota at Downing Centre Local Court.

Ms Horan agreed to discharge Kadota under the mental health legislation.

“It’s rather bizarre conduct … it’s very serious and I’m concerned about that, but that does not preclude it from the diversion scheme,” Ms Horan said.

“She’s a highly educated, otherwise functioning member of society, and she had issues at the time which contributed to her reaction when she was faced with rejection in the relationship.”

Kadota was discharged for 12 months into the care of her medical practitioners, to attend counselling at least once a month, review medication with her GP, complete sessions with Relationships Australia, and remain under the care of her GP.

Yumiko Kadota when she was a surgical registrar.

In 2019, Kadota blew open a toxic culture of extreme expectations of junior doctors after making explosive claims she was rostered on 24 days in a row and worked 100 hours’ overtime in a single month while she was a junior doctor at Bankstown Hospital.

Kadota was hospitalised for six weeks due to sleep deprivation, with her experience prompting widespread outrage from experienced surgeons about trainees’ dangerous workloads.

At the time the scandal prompted a vow from NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard to investigate the workloads for junior doctors in the state’s public hospitals.