'It's impacted every aspect of my life,' first witness says at sexual assault trial for former Regina doctor
CBC
WARNING: This story contains details some readers may find disturbing
The trial for a former doctor who has been charged with seven counts of sexual assault began Monday at the Court of Queen's Bench for Saskatchewan.
Seventy-six-year-old Sylvester Ukabam was a gastroenterology specialist — a doctor who deals with disorders of the stomach and intestines — working in downtown Regina.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Court heard Monday from the first witness, a 40-year old mother of three who alleges that Ukabam sexually assaulted her under the pretence of conducting a physical examination.
The alleged offence occurred during a colonoscopy procedure on May 29, 2013, while the witness — who had been given medication for pain management — was under "conscious sedation."
She testified that she felt pressure in her vagina.
"I have to assume it was Dr. Ukabam because he was at my bottom and was performing the colonoscopy," she said.
A publication ban prohibits any of the complainants from being named.
The witness said that due to the sedation, her memory about some details is foggy.
The witness cancelled her next scheduled colonoscopy with Ukabam five years later and reported the incident in 2018. Legal counsel for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan told her that the vaginal pressure she experienced during the 2013 colonoscopy was not a medical necessity.
"I'm scared to get another colonoscopy, so scared," she told the judge, who is hearing the case without a jury.
"I'm also scared to let my children get their [medical] procedures."
The witness said that prior to the incident, she respected Ukabam and held him in high regard.
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