At least 14 women have come forward to accuse a former Brisbane doctor of inappropriate touching or carrying out unnecessary pap smears and breast checks, with the health regulator alleging his actions in several cases were "sexually motivated".
Dr Stan Theodoros is facing disciplinary proceedings, lodged by Queensland's health ombudsman, in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT).
The Office of the Health Ombudsman (OHO) filed the disciplinary proceedings against Dr Theodoros in 2021, making 25 allegations of professional misconduct relating to seven patients.
He was accused of hugging and kissing patients, failing to keep adequate records, and performing an excessive amount of pap smears, breast checks and pelvic examinations, with allegations spanning from 2002 to 2015.
The ABC previously revealed the proceeding related to seven women, but seven more have since come forward with similar allegations.
It has also emerged in a September hearing that the OHO has formally accused Dr Theodoros of being "sexually motivated" in his alleged conduct towards those women.
Several former patients have now reported him to police and the OHO, but no charges have been laid.
A Queensland Police spokesperson confirmed that since the story was published, within the past few weeks, they have received "formal complaints in relation to alleged historic sexual assaults" at the medical practice in Tarragindi.
They said enquiries into the complaints were ongoing but encouraged anyone who alleges that they have experienced sexual assault to come forward.
'He would kiss me every time I'd go to appointments'
Esra James*, one of the patients involved in the QCAT matter, alleges Dr Theodoros unwantedly treated her like a "VIP", gifting her bottles of champagne and inviting her to get pap smears before the practice opened.
She said she was in her late teens when she started seeing him for a mental health condition.
She said when she was in her early 20s, he would text her to come in for pap smears and she would enter the building through the back door.
"I would be sitting in a chair, and he'd lean out and touch my breast, quite fast and randomly," she said.
"He would kiss me every time I'd go to appointments. He'd grab my face with his hands and pull me towards him."
Esra said she was unsure about reporting the doctor at the time, as he is a joint owner of the practice Brisbane's Wellers Hill Medical Centre, which was awarded the RACGP's Queensland Practice of the Year in 2021.
The 73-year-old is also a lifetime member and former doctor of Brisbane Easts Leagues Club.
"I really didn't know where else I could make a complaint," Esra said.
Doctor allegedly told patient she was a 'good girl' and he would 'look after' her
Five other female patients who contacted the ABC allege that Dr Theodoros made them feel uncomfortable during pap smears, with several women claiming he would kiss them on the mouth before or after appointments.
Jane Richardson* said she was a "timid and non-assertive young woman" when she first saw Dr Theodoros.
She claims she was seeing him for another issue when he suddenly advised that he would do a pap smear.
"He did not ask for my consent to perform this procedure and gave me no explanation as to why a pap smear should be done," she said.
"He put his fingers inside me and said … while I've got you up on the table, I'll give you a breast exam as well," she said.
Jane said that at the time she was "uncomfortable voicing my concerns, questions, and needs".
"Even though a big part of me wanted to run out of the room, I didn't know how to advocate for myself," she said.
Another former patient, Anabelle Louis*, claims Dr Theodoros would call her one of his "angels".
"He'd say you're such a good girl, I'll look after you," she told ABC News.
Doctor had been 'on notice' for 'several years'
Several patients involved in the QCAT matter attended the September hearing for the closing submissions.
Chris Templeton — a lawyer for the health ombudsman — alleged the examinations for seven patients were performed in a "sexual manner" and urged the tribunal to disqualify him from practising indefinitely if that was found.
Mr Templeton acknowledged there was "criticism of whether it's fair for the applicant to have the submission that the conduct was sexually motivated".
But he argued the doctor had been "on notice" of the allegation for "several years" and had chosen not to give verbal evidence.
"If he wished to give evidence to expressly contradict that suggested motive, then it was perfectly available to him to come before the tribunal," he said.
Mr Templeton said several patients alleged they did not provide informed consent, and some had their breasts exposed for checks that didn't include their breasts.
He said the case was of "substantial public interest" so that female patients could understand "what's normal" and "what's not normal".
At the time, pap smears were recommended every two years and are now only required once every five years.
The tribunal heard that Dr Theodoros thought the examinations were clinically required at the time, but now accepts that they were not.
His lawyer, Jeffrey Hunter KC, disputed that the conduct was sexually motivated and said what was alleged would "amount to offences of rape and sexual assault … in terms of exactness of the proof required".
"We say there is a middle ground here, which is that this is someone behaving in an … inappropriate, unprofessional way," he said.
He questioned why, if it was as "obvious as contended" that the doctor was "motivated by sexual gratification", the inference had not been included in earlier submissions and only articulated in 2022.
'The visions and memories of it are haunting'
Angela Callahan* is another one of the patients involved in the QCAT matter but cannot be identified due to a non-publication order.
Over three years, she received nine pap smears that were deemed not clinically necessary, Mr Templeton told the tribunal.
Angela had no family history of breast or cervical cancer, but at one stage, Dr Theodoros asked her to come in for a pap smear within three months of the last one.
An independent expert also noted several pelvic exams and breast checks performed on Angela were not reasonably required, Mr Templeton said.
Angela said she "was in a vulnerable state" when she started seeing Dr Theodoros in her early 20s after a bad experience with another doctor.
"It felt like I was targeted," she said.
In messages seen by ABC News, the doctor texted Angela repeatedly, asking her to come in for examinations. He signed off messages with an "x" or "xx". The tribunal heard the doctor claimed he thought x meant "cheers".
Angela said if she didn't reply, he would send another message and say he was free on the weekend or would fit around her schedule.
One day, Angela was still getting dressed when, she claims , Dr Theodoros pulled open the curtain and glared at her naked body.
Instead of shying away, she said he asked about her family as he watched her slip on her clothing, the tribunal heard.
"I have tried to bury it and get on with my life, but … the visions and memories of it are haunting," Angela said.
"I am still not ready to have a pap smear and don't feel like I ever want to do [one] again."
'It feels like it's been swept under the carpet'
The Medical Board of Australia imposed immediate conditions on Dr Theodoros' registration in 2016 while an investigation was underway.
Under these conditions, he was not allowed to have contact with any female patient without the presence of a board-approved chaperone, nor was he permitted to perform any gynaecological procedure.
Anabelle said when she called the reception to book an appointment with Dr Theodoros, she was told he was now only seeing men.
Despite being a long-term patient of the doctor, Anabelle only learnt about the QCAT matter through the ABC's reporting.
"I was never contacted by the ombudsman or the practice ," Anabelle said.
"It feels like it's been swept under the carpet."
A decade on, Jane said she finally feels comfortable calling out the alleged behaviour.
"Now seeing it through the eyes of this older and more assertive version of myself, I feel justified in my original feelings that [it] was inappropriate," she said.
The ABC contacted Dr Theodoros for comment via his legal representative, but did not receive a response.
*Names have been changed
