MEDIA RELEASE
18 February 2009

Sex Abuse Doctor Must Be Named

Family First NZ says that the Auckland doctor who has admitted sexually abusing three young girls twenty years ago should be named as the public have a right to know the character of their doctor especially relating to any criminal activity.

“There are a number of aggravating factors in this particular case,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ. “The age of the girls was very young (between 5 and 8 at the time of the offences), the doctor was in a position of trust within the community which was betrayed, and his profession demands a high level of professional conduct which was severely breached.”

“The historic nature does not change the fact that these serious crimes were committed in the first place and that it has impacted the victims severely. That is the consequence of such a serious crime.”

“Ultimately patients and parents have a right to know the background of their doctor and especially if that person has committed crimes of a sexual nature. This knowledge may affect a family’s willingness to use a particular doctor.”

“Whether he survives in the profession as a doctor should therefore be determined not by name suppression or the Medical Council, but by the trust that the general public is willing to give him based on the facts at hand,” says Mr McCoskrie.

“The rights of the doctor to name suppression should not outweigh the right of current and potential patients to know the facts.”

ENDS

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