Psychiatrist Rafael Pascon dos Santos was sentenced to more than 24 years in prison — Photo: Facebook/Reproduction
The complaint presented by the Public Ministry (MP-SP) has already been accepted by the Court, making the doctor a defendant in the action. Within the established period, the defense may nominate witnesses and request the production of evidence.
In June this year, the doctor was sentenced in the first instance in another case to 24 years and 16 days in prison, in a closed regime, for the crimes of rape of a vulnerable person and sexual harassment against patients.
Rafael has been in preventive detention since October last year, following the repercussions of a series of complaints from patients. In total, he has 32 accusations of sexual harassment and rape that allegedly occurred during medical care in the cities of Marília, Garça and Lins (SP).
The June conviction refers to the first of two complaints presented by the Public Ministry based on an investigation by the Marília Women's Defense Police Station.
The decision of the 3rd Criminal Court extinguished the doctor's punishment in another case due to prescription of the crime. He can appeal against the sentence, but he will remain in prison.
The decision highlights the guarantee of public order and the need to ensure the application of criminal law, as these are extremely serious crimes.
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The doctor is still facing accusations in Garça and Lins. The Regional Council of Medicine of São Paulo suspended the professional's registration and he is legally prevented from practicing the profession.
The case remains under judicial secrecy. The report contacted Rafael's defense, but did not receive a response until the last update.
Arrest and indictment
Rafael was preventively arrested on October 22, 2025, in Marília, after investigations at his office and at his home. The doctor presented himself to the Marília Police Station accompanied by lawyers.
According to the Civil Police, the victims, aged around 30, reported situations of sexual harassment similar to those described in other incidents.
The investigation concluded on October 31, with indictments for sexual harassment and rape of a vulnerable person. In the testimony scheduled for the same day, the doctor remained silent.
More than 30 complaints
Rafael Pascon dos Santos worked in a private clinic in Marília and at the Psychosocial Care Center (Caps) in Garça (SP).
After the first six victims reported the psychiatrist at the Women's Defense Police Station (DDM) in Marília, a report was made by a patient who claimed to have been raped by the professional.
In an interview with TV TEM at the time of the allegations, the victim, who preferred not to identify herself, reported that the abuse began at the beginning of the consultation, held in the suspect's private office, in August 2024, when the doctor called her "hot". See the testimony in the video above.
"When he went to put my name in the diary, at the reception, he gave me a hug and whispered something in my ear that I didn't understand, he took me back to his office and raped me. I really stopped and was in shock and afraid to do anything, because it was night and the office was empty. I was very scared", he reported.
Furthermore, he claimed to try to forget what happened, but, after complaints from the six victims, he decided to give a statement as well.
"It's a nightmare that I feel like I lived through. For a long time I kept silent and tried to forget, but a woman was brave enough to report it and made everything, unfortunately, come back to the surface again for me. I went after reporting it too to be able to, perhaps, put an end to some part of it."
According to Renata Yumi Ono, delegate of the Garça Women's Defense Police Station (DDM), one of the victims, aged 65, reported that the abuse took place in 2018, during consultations at the municipality's Caps.
She stated that the professional began to behave inappropriately, such as hugs and gestures of intimacy, and that, in one of the consultations, he even held her against his body and placed his mouth on her neck to "inhale her perfume".
Another record is from a 43-year-old woman, who said she was forcibly kissed by the same professional during a consultation in 2022. The victim said she was in a state of shock and interrupted medical follow-up after the episode.
Another victim of Garça filed a police report with the DDM on October 17, after the cases were made public. The young woman, currently 24 years old, told the police that she underwent treatment at Caps in 2018, when she was 17 years old.
According to the delegate, the young woman did not report the case at the time because she did not understand the seriousness of the incident, but, upon realizing that there were other victims, she decided to contact the police. The case was registered as sexual harassment.
In the report, the young woman said that her mother used to accompany her to appointments, but, on one occasion, she had to start the appointment without her presence. That day, according to her, the doctor changed his behavior and started asking intimate questions and, at the end of the appointment, he walked her to the door and pulled her by the wrist and kissed the corner of her mouth.
After the incident, the young woman returned to appointments twice due to the need for medication, once with a friend (and reported that the doctor was quite uncomfortable with his presence), and then just to collect the prescription for the medication.
Victims reported situations of sexual harassment involving the psychiatrist in Marília — Photo: Reproduction/TV TEM
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