Trainee surgeon pleads guilty to filming hundreds in hospital bathrooms
Quick Look
- A trainee surgeon, Ryan Cho, has pleaded guilty to 13 charges including stalking and installing hidden cameras to film hundreds of people in hospital bathrooms in Melbourne.
- The crimes involved thousands of intimate images and videos, with victims able to provide statements at his pre-sentence hearing in November.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
A trainee surgeon has pleaded guilty to installing hidden cameras in Melbourne hospitals, filming hundreds of people using showers and toilets. The crimes involved thousands of intimate images and videos.
A trainee surgeon has pleaded guilty to installing hidden cameras and secretly filming hundreds of people using the showers and toilets in Melbourne hospitals.
Ryan Cho faces jail time for the gross violation of privacy at the Austin Hospital, Royal Melbourne Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
On Thursday, Cho pleaded guilty to 13 charges including stalking, producing an intimate image and installing an optical surveillance device.
The crimes involved the production of thousands of intimate images and videos of several hundred victims.
Cho also secretly filmed a former housemate, the court heard.
The doctor, who wore a black suit and tie, told Magistrate Michelle Mykytowycz he was guilty when asked to stand and enter a plea to the charges.
Many of Cho's victims watched the proceedings online.
Defence claims 'complex' psychological issues
Cho was initially facing more than 900 charges, however prosecutors and defence lawyers agreed to lower that significantly by "rolling up", or combining, several charges.
The 29-year-old will face the County Court in November for a three-day pre-sentence hearing, where victims will be given the opportunity to provide statements to the court about how the crime has affected their lives.
Cho, who was arrested last year after one of his cameras was discovered in a hospital staff toilet, was released on bail after today's hearing.
Last August, a prosecutor said his offending "borders on the obsessive", with about 4,500 videos located on his electronic devices at that stage.
"The images relate to the intimate bathroom behaviour of many hundreds of women," prosecutor Russ Hammill said last year.
Cho has been on bail for about a year and has been living with his parents, who have put up a $50,000 surety.
He has been required to complete compulsory medical treatment and is banned from attending hospitals unless in an emergency.
Last year his defence team said he had "complex psychiatric and psychological issues".
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Ryan Cho will be sentenced in November.
Very likely · Within months
Open Questions
- What is the full extent of the psychological issues?
- What will be the final sentence?
- How many victims will provide statements?