South Australian GP Indren Moodley banned for four years after having sexual intercourse with vulnerable patient

A “predatory and cruel” GP has been hit with a heavy ban after he provided his alcohol-addicted patient with wine before having sex with her.

A “cruel” GP has been banned from practising after he provided a patient he was treating for alcohol addiction with wine before having sexual intercourse with her.

Former doctor Indren Moodley, 55, is now a baggage handler at an interstate casino after he preyed on the patient in a “particularly egregious” act.

A judgment published online by the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal said the patient, who was more than two decades younger than Mr Moodley, was significantly mentally unwell.

The then-doctor obtained the patient’s mobile phone number from her medical records a few weeks after he first saw her in 2021.

They then began an “inappropriate and sexualised personal relationship” where Mr Moodley told the patient he found her attractive, discussed troubles in his marriage and encouraged her to keep their relationship a secret.

The then-doctor obtained the patient’s mobile phone number from her medical records a few weeks after he first saw her in 2021.

The tribunal heard Mr Moodley then invited the patient to his home and offered her alcohol – despite knowing and treating her for alcohol addiction – before having sexual intercourse with her.

Mr Moodley continued to pursue his sexual interest in the patient and communicated his desire to see her again, including texting that he “would do it again any time”.

The patient reported Mr Moodley’s conduct to the police a couple of days after the incident.

“His conduct was seriously unethical, predatory and cruel,” the tribunal noted.

“We are satisfied that the respondent used the position of trust he had developed with the patient to exploit those vulnerabilities and to manipulate her, essentially in a calculated campaign to groom her to satisfy his own needs.”

The tribunal said it was “particularly egregious” that despite Mr Moodley’s knowledge of the patient’s alcohol addiction and her recent discharge from hospital for alcohol detoxification, he supplied and encouraged her to drink wine.

“We consider it is reasonably open on the evidence for us to infer that he did so deliberately in order to make the patient more amenable to sexual activity with him,” they said.

In the patient’s statement, she said she still has nightmares about the incident and will only see women doctors now.

“At the time I did not realise how unwell I was mentally, physically and emotionally, however after four months of sobriety and reflecting on these messages and statements, I am absolutely hurt and feel used and manipulated by a person who knew my physical and mental illnesses,” she said.

The tribunal heard Mr Moodley, who was now a baggage handler at the Melbourne Crown Casino, was remorseful for the incident.

Mr Moodley’s registration as a medical practitioner was suspended in late 2021 for the admitted professional misconduct, including failing to maintain professional boundaries with a patient.

The tribunal noted a further lengthy absence from practice may mean the end of Mr Moodley’s medical career but said he had seriously damaged the standing of the profession.

They cancelled Mr Moodley’s registration and banned him from providing any health service or applying for registration for four years from the date of the ruling on February 10, 2025.

Originally published as South Australian GP Indren Moodley banned for four years after having sexual intercourse with vulnerable patient