Toronto doctor convicted of sex assault loses licence

Article content

Dr. George Polemidiotis has had his licence to practise medicine revoked in Ontario — and the convicted sex abuser has promised not to apply to be reinstated.

Article content

That’s a win for female patients in the GTA.

Article content

Article content

In 2023, Polemidiotis was convicted of sexually assaulting three women at his clinics between 2012 and 2019 and sentenced to three and a half years in prison. Last year, Ontario’s highest court upheld the conviction and sentence.

Now that his appeals are complete, the Ontario Physicians and Surgeons Discipline Tribunal found him guilty this month of misconduct and ordered the mandatory revocation of his licence. Further investigations into complaints against him were dropped last month after Polemidiotis signed an undertaking never to reapply for registration in Ontario.

“These individuals came to your office expecting you to provide professional medical care in a safe environment. Instead, you exploited these medical encounters to pursue your own selfish needs, without regard for the wellbeing of these patients. The pervasive, repetitive, and escalating nature of your misconduct is disgraceful, dishonourable and unprofessional and reflects conduct unbecoming of a physician,” the committee said in issuing its reprimand.

Article content

Article content

Polemidiotis was 54 when he was arrested by Toronto Police in 2021 and charged with nine counts of sexual assault and four of sexual exploitation after two women, aged 16 and 26, claimed they were sexually assaulted at his Marlee walk-in clinic. A third woman later came forward and more charges were laid.

According to court documents, patient T.C. testified to four incidents of sexual assault between September 2016 and September 2017 in a closed-door examination room. The first time, Polemidiotis lifted her shirt in front of a mirror, pulled down her bra and grabbed her breasts. When she returned to the clinic and tried to see another doctor, she was directed back to Polemidiotis and he grabbed her breasts again and put his tongue in her ear.

Article content

In the third incident, in January 2017, the disgusting doctor unzipped his pants and put his erect penis in her hand. During a September 2017 visit, he did the same and then tried to put his penis in her vagina, but T.C. screamed and left the examination room.

Patient A.F. testified that he sexually assaulted her on two occasions — Polemidiotis kissed her on the lips and during another appointment, held her breasts over her clothing and pressed his erect penis into her as he stood behind her.

The third complainant worked in his office and was a sometime patient. She detailed escalating sexual abuse between January 2018 and Oct. 31, 2019: pressing his erection into her body while hugging her from behind, positioning her before a mirror, pulling up her top and touching her breasts and twice trying to get her to touch him.

Article content

The tribunal found the doctor’s sexual abuse involved “egregious and persistent verbal and physical conduct” toward the woman.

“She tried to push him away and complained to him about his behaviour. Dr. Polemidiotis would promise to change but nonetheless persisted in his conduct,” they wrote.

On the last occasion, he asked her to come into the office so he could talk to her. Polemidiotis hugged her and tried to touch her breast under her shirt, but she slapped his hands down. When he tried to kiss her, she pushed him away. The assault only ended because another doctor walked in.

She quit that day and disclosed what happened to two other employees and the other doctor.

At his trial, the suspended doctor denied any sexual touching but the judge found the evidence from all three complainants was “credible and strong.” The Court of Appeal agreed.

“Your lack of professional integrity, the criminal convictions made against you, and the sexual abuse of patients undermine the trust our society places in all physicians and will not be tolerated,” the tribunal concluded.

And now we’re rid of this dirty doc once and for all.

mmandel@postmedia.com

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Play Video

Article content