S'porean Doc in Melbourne Faces 133 Charges for Filming Colleagues in Toilets

Ryan Cho, who is out on bail, alleged to have recorded more than 450 people

- Marie McInerney

MELBOURNE — A Singaporean trainee doctor was granted bail by a Melbourne court on Aug 22, after he was handed an additional 127 charges over the alleged filming of hundreds of colleagues in hospital showers and toilets.

Ryan Cho, 28, who to date faces a total of 133 charges, though that number is expected to rise significantly, is alleged to have filmed more than 450 nurses, doctors and other colleagues at the hospitals where he had worked since 2021.

Despite opposition from police, the trainee surgeon was granted release into the support and supervision of his Singaporean parents, who attended the bail hearing in Victoria's Supreme Court and posted the A$50,000 (S$41,400) surety.

Cho had been detained for nearly a month in extended solitary confinement, unable to access any meaningful psychiatric or psychological treatment, his lawyer Julian McMahon said.

"That prison environment is isolated — he's locked down 23 hours a day and when he exercises in a yard... which is caged, he's alone as well — so it's an extremely isolated experience," Mr McMahon told the court.

Given the large number of allegations in the case that has rocked Melbourne's health services, continued remand was a major concern, he said, noting that the case could go to trial only in 2027.

There was a risk that Cho could spend more time in remand than if he were convicted and sentenced, according to the lawyer.

Mr McMahon also said his client had no prior criminal record.

He described Cho as a "complicated young professional man" with what would almost certainly be recognised as "complex psychological issues".