Retired doctor extradited from NSW pleads not guilty to indecent assault
A patient who was allegedly indecently assaulted during a medical appointment 20 years ago has told a Tasmanian court he was frightened of reporting the incident at the time.
A former Tasmanian doctor, Michael Anthony Welch, has pleaded not guilty to three charges of indecent assault, according to prosecutors. Welch, who was extradited from New South Wales, faces the allegations stemming from incidents that allegedly occurred in 2004-2005 when he was a practicing GP in Tasmania. The first two charges involve a patient who was allegedly assaulted during a sexual health check-up in late 2004 or early 2005 when Welch was seated and the patient stood.
The third charge alleges assault when Welch was piercing the second complainant's ear. Welch's lawyer, David Edwardson KC, emphasized the inconsistencies in the complainant's statements and highlighted the lack of STI testing during the examination. The magistrate, Jackie Hartnett, will determine the outcome of the hearing in December.
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