Crown closes case against N.S. doctor accused of sexual assault

A woman who worked for a Nova Scotia doctor accused of sexually assaulting a patient is telling her version of events on July 31 of last year, when the alleged assault occurred. 

Pam Bryan had worked for Dr. Oluwarotimi (Tim) Fashoranti for about two weeks before the incident. Her responsibilities included chaperoning the doctor when he examined female patients.

That was a condition imposed by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia following an earlier complaint against Fashoranti.

But on July 31, Bryan testified that she was dealing with urgent matters involving a previous patient when Fashoranti and the complainant went into the examining room and the door closed behind them.

Bryan said she tried to follow them, only to discover that the door was locked. She said she then got distracted by another patient entering the clinic. Bryan said Fashoranti was "shocked" when she told him later about the locked door.

Bryan said she was standing in the doorway of the walk-in clinic in Springhill, N.S. when she overheard part of a conversation between Fashoranti and the woman after the examination. Bryan said the doctor asked about the woman's children and asked her whether she was going to the beach.

In her testimony earlier in the trial, the woman who is accusing Fashoranti said the conversation she had with Fashoranti in the parking lot made her uncomfortable and she was afraid he might try to follow her. Bryan testified that would have been impossible as Fashoranti didn't have a driver's licence and relied on his wife to drive him around.

Bryan said the woman came to her home that evening and asked her about the protocol for Fashoranti examining female patients. Bryan said the woman also told her she didn't want it to happen again.

Bryan said the woman returned to her home at a later date, pounding on the door and pushing aside Bryan's two sons to force her way into the house. Bryan said the woman was shouting that she would have Bryan charged with perjury.

Bryan said she didn't speak to the woman on that occasion because she dialed 911 and was on the phone with police.

Earlier Thursday, a doctor called by the defence offered her expert opinion of the examination Fashoranti conducted that forms the basis of the sexual assault charge.

Ottawa-based Dr. Christiane Kuntz said that faced with an unspecified complaint about abdominal pain, it was appropriate for Fashoranti to examine the woman's breasts and pubic area.

When the Crown presented its case against Fashoranti, it introduced expert testimony from another Ontario doctor who questioned the type of exam Fashoranti conducted.

The Crown closed its case on Thursday. Bryan was the second witness called by the defence. She will be back on the stand later this month when the trial resumes.

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