Doctor accused of covering up for fake IVF doctor Raffaele di Paolo
A doctor has been accused of covering up fake IVF doctor Raffaele di Paolo’s monstrous ways, allowing a decade-long charade to prevail.
Law & Order
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A doctor has been accused of failing to alert couples, desperate to have kids, to a fake IVF doctor allowing a decade long charade to prevail.
Victims have launched Supreme Court action against Hawthorn doctor Bruce Sutherland, who faces a string of accusations mainly centring on how he should have known Raffaele di Paolo was a phony gynaecologist.
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Dr Sutherland, who was a legally qualified medical practitioner, worked out of Di Paolo’s St Kilda Rd practice rooms and legal papers allege he was present when the masquerading doctor provided advice and treatment for infertility.
“At all times (Dr Sutherland) knew of out to have known that di Paolo was neither qualified or registered to provide medical treatment of any kind,” the legal writ said.
Di Paolo was sentenced to nine and a half years’ jail with a minimum of six and a half years last year, after scamming 30 desperate patients wanting to be parents out of $385,000 over 10 years.
His callous ways included using a needle to remove semen from testicles without antiseptic, injecting an unknown substances into women’s stomachs, lying to women they were pregnant including showing them ultrasound photos, examining women’s breasts without gloves and ordering men to insert ultrasound probes into their partner’s vaginas.
Di Paolo used a forged university degree to con Melbourne patients and told patients he had left Monash IVF and Melbourne IVF to focus on more natural approach to IVF — despite never studying medicine or holding a degree.
His fraud even hoodwinked several medical professionals and it wasn’t until 2011 he came to the attention of authorities — but continued to practice until police were called in 2015.
There are at least 15 victims part of the legal action and they are claiming damages for breach of contract, negligence, injury, loss and damage.
Court papers claim Dr Sutherland failed to “advise and/or warn” victims that di Paolo was neither qualified nor registered to provide medical treatment or advice.
The writ also said his “acts and omissions” were negligent. Dr Sutherland, who is now retired, declined to comment.
Di Paolo’s 51 offences, including indecent assault, obtaining property by deception, sexual penetration by fraud, common assault and practising as a medical specialist when not qualified, happened between 2004 and 2014.
In sentencing, County Court Judge Bill Stuart said there was not “a shred of evidence” that di Paolo acknowledged his wrongdoing and rejected his defence of personality disorder.
“You deliberately deceived your victims, you breached the trust they had in you, you encouraged false hope,” Judge Stuart said.