QLD Is it too late to report sexual assault?

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Gigi

Member
17 October 2017
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Hello,

I visited an Endocrinologist several years ago and during the appointment he told me to take my clothes off, down to my underwear, squat down with my arms out by my side, he walked over and stood behind me and after saying a few things he then told me to get dressed. I'd assumed he was going to perform some medical exam on me but that was it. For many years I didn't even want to ask if this was abuse or if there was a valid reason for him doing it because I didn't want to know what I'd suspected, that he'd taken advantage of me...I recently asked another Endocrinologist if this was in any way a proper way for him to behave, if it was any kind of test, and they very kindly informed me that no, it wasn't anything medical and that the doctor had taken advantage of me.

I have no proof that he did this to me as it was a private appointment with only the two of us present. He did order a follow up appointment for me, even though he told me that he thought it was useless, and I never returned to him and avoided the appointment because I didn't feel comfortable.

I feel like I should report him to the medical board because of what he did, and am also worried that he might do the same or more to other patients, but should I also report him to the police and would they take me seriously since I don't have any proof and I've waited so long?

Thank you very much for any help you could give, I really appreciate it.
 

Rob Legat - SBPL

Lawyer
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16 February 2017
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Did you have any form of diabetes, different sensation between the left/right side of your body, or leg pain?

Also, what did he say to you when you were in that position?

To my understanding, there are a few hormonal dysfunctions that result in weakness or damage to the muscles. Since the quadriceps are one of the largest muscle groups in the body, it is a valid diagnostic exercise to look at how they function under load. A squat test is a useful way to do that as it can tell (a) whether they are generally weak and (b) whether one side is weaker than the other.

As for doing it in your underwear, this can be useful to see what muscles are engaging (to see if one is compensating for another) and the amount of tremor (caused when a muscle is straining or exhausted).

While I’m not a medical professional I do have some knowledge in exercise science, and I can see the validity of what he has asked you to do - in the right circumstances.
 

Gigi

Member
17 October 2017
2
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Hi Rob, thank you for your questions!

No I don't have diabetes or any of the other problems you mentioned. I too had wondered for a long time whether it was a valid test and concerned that if it wasn't I'd have to face up to the uncomfortable reality. I really hoped it was genuine.

When he stood behind me he said that my stretch marks didn't show (I'd gained 30 kilos in 3 months and the stretchmarks had faded by that time, so he didn't say anything sexual). He was rude and condescending but I've met doctors like that before and my concerns weren't based on that. I showed him a photo of how I look at my normal weight to show that I'm not normally overweight, and the first thing he said was that my mother was fat and I have a fat family. He didn't comment on the fact that I wasn't fat in the photo. I reminded him that I'm a healthy eating vegetarian and my diet had no influence on my weight gain. He later told me there was nothing I could do about my thyroid problem, then told me to bring in a bottle of urine for a sample but that he knew it would show nothing anyway, and that I should book another appointment to come back to see him, even though he'd made it blatantly obvious that he didn't think tests would prove anything and that he couldn't help me in any way.

I didn't book a follow up appointment because he made me feel uncomfortable and I got a phone call from his assistant strongly verbally abusing me for not coming back. The doctor sent a letter of complaint to my GP because I hadn't returned and when I explained the situation to my GP they agreed with me that I did the right thing by not going back to him.

So just recently I finally got the courage to ask another Endocrinologist (a specialist from London University) about the squat test and was told that there was no such test requiring me to do that posture. It was obvious from their comments that they believed the doctor had done something inappropriate and even apologised to me for having to go through it.
 

Iamthelaw

Well-Known Member
13 September 2016
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In short, there are several references to 'squat tests' in medical literature, describing similar actions to those which you've outlined above. I agree with reasoning @Rob Legat - SBPL arrived at for the possible administration of the test.

I think this could be a matter of his poor attitude rather than any sexual/indecent assault type offence.