An Illawarra doctor repeatedly made a vulnerable male patient who was addicted to powerful painkillers give him oral sex in exchange for renewing his prescription, a court has heard.
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Dr Thean Soo Chin, also known as Christopher Chin, was arrested at Balgownie Medical Centre just before 9am on Thursday and charged with two counts each of aggravated sexual assault of a victim under authority and sexually touching another person without consent.
A sign hastily plastered on the practice's front door with sticky tape said the surgery had to close for "unforeseen circumstances" and recommended patients make alternative arrangements.
The charges against Chin stem from allegations he molested a long-time male patient between 2017 and 2019 when the man attended the surgery to renew his prescriptions for OxyNorm and OxyContin, two opioid-based medications used to treat moderate to severe pain.
The man only reported the alleged abuse to police earlier this month, telling them he hadn't come forward earlier because he feared no one would believe him.
It is alleged Chin made full admissions to the acts when interviewed by police on Thursday.
He sought bail in Wollongong Local Court later that afternoon, saying he could lodge a $50,000 bond to ensure his attendance at court, however Magistrate Michael Stoddart refused to release Chin on account of the strength of the case against him.
The accused, knowing the victim was now opioid dependent, has abused his authority and has used the victim for his own sexual gratification.
Meanwhile, officers were scathing in their assessment of the allegations against Chin in documents tendered in court, saying he had abused his authority and trust as a GP.
"The accused has prescribed the victim with high doses of an opioid drug which has in turn made the victim dependent on it," investigating officers wrote.
"The accused, knowing the victim was now opioid dependent, has abused his authority and has used the victim for his own sexual gratification."
The documents said Chin is a licensed GP who began practising at Balgownie in 2000 and first saw the victim in 2001 for post-operative treatment following hernia surgery.
The man continued to see Chin for general illnesses and was prescribed Panadeine Forte and Endone over the next few years for treatment of headaches and depression.
Towards the end of 2010, the victim began taking OxyNorm and OxyContin at the suggestion of Chin after complaining that the Endone was no longer working for him.
Court documents said sometime in 2014/15 the man recounted a an incident to Chin in which he'd accidentally mistaken a transsexual male as a female during a drunken night out, and from then on Chin began telling the man sexual jokes whenever he came to see him.
It is alleged the jokes progressed to physical touching and in 2016, Chin allegedly began fondling the man's penis.
"The victim was scared and worried to report the accused as he believed that no one would believe him," police said in their court statement.
"The victim went ahead with the accused's actions because he was dependent on his medication and he did not want to upset the accused.
"The victim tried to see other doctors but they would not prescribe the amount of OxyNorm and OxyContin that the victim was now dependent on."
As a protective measure, the man began to audio record his visits.
In one recorded appointment in January 2017, Chin allegedly told the man he needed to check his prostrate and pulled down his own pants to expose his penis.
Chin then allegedly told the victim he would write out a prescription for 10 boxes of each of the opioid drugs if the victim "kissed" his penis, but would give him whatever he wanted if he performed fellatio on him, police claim.
The victim told police he performed the act and Chin subsequently allegedly wrote out the prescriptions, sending the victim off with a recommendation that he should cut down on the addictive medication.
The man said he left the surgery feeling "degraded and ashamed".
He told police a similar incident happened during his appointment in April 2017, and then again earlier this month, when the victim claims Chin grabbed him on the buttocks and genitals while taking his blood pressure.
The man reported the matter to police, who sent the victim back to see Chin 10 days later, this time armed with a covert recording device.
The recording allegedly picked up Chin asking the man to perform fellatio on him and sounds of Chin touching the man inappropriately, police claim.
The case will return to court in December.
