General News
30 July, 2024
Former Avoca doctor made to pay thousands to victim
A former GP has been ordered to pay $150,000 in compensation to a patient he sexually assaulted during a visit to his Avoca clinic in 2017.
According to a court report by Australian Community Media (ACM), the victim in the matter took the former Avoca GP Martin Lee to court earlier this month seeking payment for the continued mental injuries caused by an incident in October 2017.
The victim was one of four who were sexually abused by the former GP during his time at the former Tristar Medical Centre clinic in Avoca.
According to ACM, Mr Lee assaulted the victim during a consultation for cellulitis in her breasts where she was inappro-priately touched for a short time.
Mr Lee was sentenced on four charges of sexual assault in February last year and was given a 12 month prison sentence combined with a two-year community corrections order.
At a hearing earlier this month, the court heard a compensation order may be claimed when there is pain and suffering as a direct result of the offence, and for expenses incurred by the victim for counselling services stemming from the offence.
Injury could also include mental illness and harm as well as physical injuries, ACM reported.
A psychologist’s report of the victim found they presented with post-traumatic stress disorder, were “overtly distressed” and experienced severe depression and stress.
The report highlighted a clear link between the victim’s symptoms and the sexual assault, according to ACM.
Representing himself in court, Mr Lee also sought costs for his own mental suffering caused by the compensation claim, which according to ACM, he described as “malicious”.
However, the court ordered a compensation sum of $150,450 to be paid to the victim by Mr Lee, in addition to legal costs.