A CORK man has gone on trial at the Central Criminal Court accused of depriving his former girlfriend of medical treatment by masquerading as a doctor and purporting to carry out medical procedures on her.
Prosecuting counsel Paul Coffey SC told the jury that after their four-month relationship ended the woman was diagnosed with a potentially life threatening tumour which had to be removed.
Mr Coffey said it was the prosecution’s case that the woman gave her consent to two “trans- vaginal” procedures carried out on her at her home by the accused on the basis that she believed he was a doctor.
The 32-year-old man, who can not be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty to masquerading as a doctor thereby depriving the woman of proper medical attention and not guilty to two counts of sexually assaulting her by penetrating her vagina with a syringe between August and October 2006.
He has also pleaded not guilty to three counts of assaulting the woman causing her harm, stealing a prescription pad, forging prescriptions and unauthorised use of the woman’s laser card in the same period.
The woman told Mr Coffey that she met the accused while socialising in June 2006 and he told her that he was a doctor working in a hospital in Dublin. She said he also mentioned working for Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
She said he took her phone number and they went on a “date” later that week. She said the relationship continued into July but the accused often broke arrangements citing “medical emergencies”. He asked her not to visit him in hospital.
She said they became closer in August due to the death of his father and she revealed to him that she was in some pain from a medical condition. She introduced him to her family and they became engaged in October.
The woman said the accused told her that the doctors who had been treating her “did not have a clue” and he said he would speak to a medical colleague. She said he later told her that his colleague had diagnosed her with an abscess after receiving samples from the doctors who had previously treated her. She said he told her he would liaise with his colleague in her treatment.
The trial continues before Mr Justice Peter Charleton and a jury of seven women and five men.