Source: Shin Min Daily News
A Singaporean doctor in Australia has been accused of secretly filming hundreds of women, including doctors and nurses, at three hospitals over the course of five years.
Now, 28-year-old Ryan Cho faces 133 charges linked to the offences, with more possibly on the way.
Adding to this, his father recently disclosed that the family had spent over S$410,000 on his medical education, as reported by Shin Min Daily News.
Cho allegedly set up cameras in women’s toilets at three hospitals in Melbourne, where he worked and studied medicine.
Reports say he tampered with door locks and blocked toilets so that victims would be forced to use stalls fitted with the hidden devices.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Over the years, Cho is believed to have filmed 460 women, producing more than 10,000 videos and images.
Cho comes from a Malaysian family and later moved to Singapore, where he is now a citizen.
He moved to Australia in 2017 and later became a permanent resident. Between 2018 and 2022, he studied medicine at Monash University before working as a resident surgical doctor at Austin Hospital in Heidelberg.
Cho was initially arrested on 10 July, charged with stalking and using hidden cameras. He was later granted bail.
But on 25 July, police re-arrested him, adding five more charges, including producing private images, using optical surveillance devices, and failing to cooperate with investigators.
Then, on 21 August, authorities confirmed he had been slapped with a further 127 charges of a similar nature. This brought the total to 133 charges, and investigators warned that more may follow.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
In court, Cho’s father revealed that he and his wife spent nearly AUD 500,000 (S$413,700) over five years to put their son through medical school, according to the Daily Mail.
He insisted he had no knowledge of his son’s alleged actions.
The family has since signed a six-month lease in Melbourne to remain close to him. They also promised to ensure he abides by bail conditions, including curfews and restrictions on electronic devices.
“I’ll be here for him as long as he needs me,” his father reportedly said in court.
Cho appeared in the Supreme Court of Victoria on 22 August, where his lawyer applied for bail and argued that he had spent almost a month in solitary confinement without receiving proper psychological support.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
The lawyer also warned the case may not go to trial until 2027, describing Cho as a “complex young professional male” with almost certain “psychological issues”.
Prosecutors opposed the bail application, warning that Cho was an unacceptable risk to society and posed a risk of absconding.
However, the judge eventually granted bail after considering the supervision and financial backing of his parents.
Cho’s parents later paid AUD 50,000 (S$41,400) to secure his release.
Also read: S’porean doctor charged for allegedly recording 560 colleagues at hospital toilets in Australia
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.