Brain surgeon Andrew Kaye says meeting with young woman was ‘unwise’, but denies sexual misconduct

Esteemed brain surgeon and former Hawthorn board member Andrew Kaye says he returned to Australia to fight allegations against him.

Former professor of neurosurgery Andrew Kaye, 74, leaves the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, where he has been accused of making an inappropriate sexual advance against a young woman.

Top Melbourne brain surgeon Dr Andrew Kaye has vehemently denied an allegation he made an unwanted sexual advance against a young female medico.

On the second day of a professional misconduct hearing at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal on Wednesday, Dr Kaye denied he had a reputation for being sleazy.

“I don’t think I’m sleazy,” he said.

The tribunal heard Dr Kaye, 74, once told a colleague with multiple piercings she would be “more beautiful without all that metal”.

But Dr Kaye said he was trying to encourage her to look more professional at work.

He said: “My nature is that I’m fairly direct.”

“I try to be nice, and sympathetic, but sometimes things come out a little bit bluntly.”

Dr Kaye moved to Israel in the months after the allegation surfaced, but his barrister, Jeremy Ruskin, KC, told the tribunal he had not “fled” the country, and that he had long planned to relocate to Jerusalem.

Dr Kaye said he returned to Australia to fight the professional misconduct case.

“I regarded the seriousness of the nature of the allegations, meant that I must defend them in person,” he said.

Dr Kaye said he thought the woman might want to discuss her career prospects with him.

“I usually had a small drink at the end of Friday before coming home … I thought perhaps she wanted to talk about her future.”

Professor Andrew Kaye performing surgery at Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Professor Andrew Kaye is one of Australia’s most respected brain surgeons.

The tribunal heard Dr Kaye’s office window faced directly onto a concrete wall.

The woman claims Dr Kaye pointed towards the window, said, “I prefer it this way because it’s private and no one can see inside” and placed his hand on her leg.

Dr Kaye said that part of her account was untrue.

“Well the words might have been correct but the actions are incorrect,” he said.

Dr Kaye also denied asking whether the woman had a boyfriend, having previously asked whether she was married.

“Incorrect, I’d already covered that,” he said.

Dr Kaye further denied telling the woman, “It’s OK, you know we’re all friends here”.

The woman alleges Dr Kaye touched her on the lower back, which Dr Kaye denied.

“My hand could have touched the right scapula, the right shoulder region,” he said.

He also said he might have inadvertently “brushed” her arm when he “reached out for something”, but repeatedly and vehemently denied doing anything sexually inappropriate.

Dr Kaye agreed there was a significant “power imbalance” between him and the woman.

He said he should not have met with the woman when it was unclear whether it was a social or professional meeting.

“Well, I think on reflection it was inappropriate,” he said.

“It was wrong to conflate what was seen as a social thing together with what was a professional thing. It was wrong to do that,” he said.

The hearing continues.