Woman denies making up fantasy about sex with GP

A woman who claims her Christchurch doctor paid her for sex and plied her with drugs today denied making up a fantasy about him.

The doctor's former patient, who has permanent name suppression, was being cross-examined on the second day of a Medical Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal hearing in Christchurch.

The doctor, whose name is temporarily suppressed during the hearing, is charged with disgraceful conduct or an alternative charge of professional misconduct.

He is alleged to have had sex with the woman who was at the time - or had until recently been - his patient, paid her money for sexual services, supplied her with drugs without prescription or medical justification, and given her advice on how to prepare a lethal dose of medication to use as a suicide tool.

It is also alleged the doctor paid the woman not to attend an interview with the Health and Disability Commissioner's office and telephoned her on the morning of a planned interview with the Medical Council's complaints assessment committee to dissuade her from attending the meeting.

If found guilty, the doctor faces being struck off the medical register and fined.

Cross-examined today by the doctor's lawyer, Stephen Hembrow, the woman denied making up the allegations.

Mr Hembrow put to her that at a low point in her life she'd met the doctor who treated her as a teenager and "for whatever reason formed a false romantic attachment" with him.

Mr Hembrow suggested the woman had made up "this fantasy" and lied to staff at the Stepping Stone Trust house where she was living about her relationship with the doctor.

"That's an absolute joke," the woman replied.

Earlier, Mr Hembrow told the tribunal the doctor would give evidence denying that any of the events recounted by the woman ever took place.

The woman said she and the doctor met for sex at his apartment and at three flats she lived in after leaving the trust house. She agreed there was no evidence of any of her flatmates seeing the doctor at her flats.

She denied meeting the doctor just as a friend for coffees and lunches.

The woman also denied writing letters "off her own bat" to the Health and Disability Commissioner's office saying she did not want to take part in an investigation of the doctor. She claimed the doctor told her what to write.

Mr Hembrow put to the woman that she'd never had sex with the doctor and that he'd never paid for sex.

"Yes he did," she said.

The woman denied stockpiling her prescription drugs or "doctor shopping" by visiting different doctors seeking drugs. She denied ever visiting a doctor under a false name.

She said at the time of the arranged meeting with the Health and Disability Commissioner's office, she did not want to take part because she didn't want the doctor to get into trouble over their relationship.

It was "not true" that she had not wanted to go to the meeting because nothing had happened between her and the doctor.

The woman said although the doctor paid her $100 to leave Christchurch and stay in a motel on the day of the meeting, she had stayed in town.

She denied Mr Hembrow's assertion that the doctor had never paid her any money at any time.

"He did," she said.

While agreeing she had seen the doctor naked many times during their sexual encounters, she couldn't recall noticing that he had a blotchy skin condition on his feet.

Mr Hembrow said the doctor had suffered from a medical condition for a number of years.

The woman then told the tribunal that she had told the complaints assessment committee the doctor had blotchy marks on his penis.

"It never bothered me."

The hearing is expected to continue all week.

- NZPA