A TRAINEE doctor has been accused of secretly filming hundreds of women in at least three hospitals.
Ryan Cho, 28, is likely to face around 500 charges relating to 4,500 videos he secretly recorded since 2021, police said.
A trainee surgeon was granted bail today after being accused of clandestinely filming hundreds of medical staff inside the bathrooms of hospitals across Australia.
Authorities claim that Cho illicitly recorded intimate visuals of at least 460 women, leading to allegations including stalking, creation of intimate images, and the installation of surveillance devices.
He was arrested in July after a mobile phone was found recording from inside a mesh bag hanging in an Austin Hospital restroom.
Arriving in Australia as a student in 2017, Cho faces accusations of filming in the restrooms at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Center and the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Initially, Cho was charged with six offenses, but on Thursday, an additional 127 charges were laid, among them the deliberate recording of intimate images without consent.
“It’s alleged a mobile phone was used as a recording device in staff toilets at all three hospitals named so far,” a police statement said.
“Police expect to identify further alleged victims; however, working through this process is expected to take some time.”
Cho was released by the judge to live with his parents – who have been required to pay 50,000 Australian dollars (£24,000).
Though Cho gained permanent residency in Australia this April, he risks deportation if found guilty and sentenced to a prison term of 12 months or more, the court indicated.
Cho’s lawyer Julian McMahon dismissed prosecutors fears Cho could interfere with witnesses if released.
Justice James Elliott, who granted bail, said the risks to the community could be managed by “very strict conditions”.
McMahon said it was too early to tell if the allegations would go to trial.
Dr. Cho has been suspended from Austin Health, and according to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, his current suspension precludes him from practicing in Australia, reports ABC.
Cho hasn’t entered pleas.
His defence lawyer told the court that Cho has “complex” mental health issues.
Barrister Julian McMahon SC told the Supreme Court the allegations would eventually be seen as “complex psychiatric and psychological issues together with criminal conduct”.
The lawyers also said he expects “hundreds” more charges to be laid by the end of the year, and that the case could meet lengthy delays.
Prosecutors meanwhile said they expect the case to go trial in the second half of next year.
Russ Hammill, prosecuting, told the court the alleged offending “borders on the obsessive”.
