Fake gynaecologist Raffaele Di Paolo sentenced for procuring sexual penetration by fraud
A FAKE gynaecologist who lied about his qualifications and fleeced patients of hundreds of thousands of dollars has been labelled a “charlatan” by a judge.
Law & Order
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A FAKE gynaecologist who passed himself off as a fertility specialist in Melbourne has been jailed for almost a decade.
Raffaele Di Paolo, 61, earlier pleaded guilty to or was found guilty of 51 offences of procuring sexual penetration by fraud, assault, indecent assault and obtaining and trying to obtain property by deception.
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He passed himself off as a medical practitioner and fertility specialist in Melbourne between 2005 and 2015, but the lies date back decades to his work at a clinic in Italy.
In sentencing him on Friday to nine years and six months in jail, with a non- parole period of six-and-a-half years, Victorian County Court Judge Bill Stuart labelled Di Paolo a “charlatan who has no insight and no remorse”.
The Victorian County Court had been told yesterday Di Paolo had been provided with forged qualifications to show he was a medical practitioner, an obstetrician and a gynaecologist amid a crackdown on corruption in Italy’s medical system in the 1990s.
“These documents were apparently made available to you, according to your barrister, in order to shield the clinic … and probably yourself,” Judge Bill Stuart said during his sentencing remarks.
Di Paolo was eventually found guilty and fined by a Rome court of passing himself off as a doctor.
Judge Stuart noted Di Paolo claimed he’d obtained qualifications in Australia, and was repeatedly referred to as a “doctor” in Italian court documents.
After returning to Australia, Di Paolo used the same forged documents to show he was qualified in Italy, also saying he had a science degree from Monash University.
“Your capacity for deception is profound,” Judge Stuart said.
“There is no doubt … that you do have wide experience and skills in this area. It is how you presented yourself which is critical.”
Di Paolo is being sentenced in relation to 30 victims, comprising women he treated and their partners.
He told his victims he had worked at the Monash IVF fertility clinic before turning to natural therapies. In fact, Di Paolo tried but failed to join Monash IVF before registering his own company.
He injected women with homoeopathic substances, took blood but never labelled it and in some cases got patients’ partners to help him conduct ultrasounds.
Prosecutors said he fleeced his victims of more than $385,000 but Di Paolo’s lawyers contest that sum.
Victims said he was a “charlatan, con-man and predator” who inflicted emotional, physical and financial damage.
His crimes were uncovered by health authorities including the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and then police. He was found guilty by a jury of some charges in March before later pleading guilty to others.
Reflecting on the outcome AHPRA CEO Martin Fletcher said the decision by the court is a serious signal to anyone who falsely claims to be a registered health practitioner.
“This is an exceptionally good outcome for patient safety. We will continue to do everything we can to prevent fake practitioners putting the public at risk.”
“This was a complex investigation and I would like to pay tribute to the AHPRA officers who worked extremely hard so that this case could be prosecuted. The decision of the Court sends a clear message that it is unacceptable for anyone to claim to be registered when they are not.”
Medical Board of Australia Chair Dr Joanna Flynn AM said the evidence given by Mr Di Paolo’s victims showed the impact of his deception on people who deserved good care.
“It is never acceptable to breach the trust that is at the heart of the doctor patient relationship. “Pretending to be trained and qualified when you are not breaks the law, betrays community trust and will trigger serious regulatory action,” Dr Flynn said.
In a character reference, his brother blamed their father, saying he’d insisted Di Paolo lie and tell people he had been accepted into medical school after year 12.