‘Notorious’ paedophile doctor stays in jail on 137 charges

A Toowoomba man who police claim to be a “notorious” child sex offender has had more than 100 charges against him mentioned in the city’s Magistrates Court.

Joseph Lee Smith has been held in custody since being refused bail at his initial appearance.

A Toowoomba man who police claim to be a “notorious” child sex offender and who once worked as a doctor in the region has had more than 100 charges against him mentioned in the city’s Magistrates Court.

Joseph Lee Smith has been held in custody since being refused bail at his initial appearance on the charges before the same court last year.

He was originally arrested at his home in Toowoomba on a single charge arising from a police claim that he had befriended an underage boy in Victoria via Instagram and allegedly had the boy send him images of him dancing naked.

He was refused bail and remanded in custody after which time police charged him with a further 136 charges allegedly relating to incidents involving children.

The 47-year-old has not as yet been required to enter pleas to those charges which included 41 counts of grooming a child under 16 with intent to procure engagement in a sexual act, three of taking a child for immoral purposes, nine of using the internet to procure a child under 16, two of possessing child exploitation material, one of aggravated supply of dangerous drugs to a minor under 16 years, and 56 counts of failing to comply with reporting obligations under the Child Protection Act as well as some associated charges.

At his initial bail application, the court was told Smith had once been jailed in Bulgaria for child sex offences.

It is believed he worked as a doctor in Gatton for a short while as well as spending time as a junior doctor at a Brisbane hospital.

Smith was not required to be in court for the mention of his matters on Thursday but was represented by MacDonald Law solicitor Ryan McCullough who asked for an adjournment.

Mr McCullough said he had just received the remainder of the police brief of evidence and asked for an adjournment so as to view that material.

Magistrate Howard Osborne therefore remanded Smith in custody and adjourned the case for mentioned back in the same court on March 25.