Doctor admits tying up child was inappropriate
A Gold Coast doctor accused of ‘hog-tying’ a child during a consultation has admitted his actions were inappropriate and a momentary lapse of judgment.
Pediatrician Dr Neville Davis was charged with common assault after the boy’s mother alleged he had tied up the seven-year-old’s hands and ankles and sat on his back during an appointment in October 2012.
Dr Davis said he had tied the boy up, and in hindsight accepted that it was inappropriate, but denied sitting on the child, News Corp reports.
He said he squatted over the child as a technique to control the boy's bad behaviour, and he had not used the technique since because it was ineffective.
The court heard that since the allegations, conditions set by the Australian Medical Board require Dr Davis to have a chaperone present during consultations.
The boy’s mother took photographs of the incident.
Defence lawyer Kerri Mellifont told the court the claim by the boy's mother that Dr Davis sat on her child was a ‘ludicrous proposition’, ABC News reports.
She said the mother was not a trusted witness and her claim the doctor tied a rope around the boy's neck did not fit with other evidence.
The trial has been adjourned.
News break – February 19
