Austin Hospital Junior doctor Ryan Cho facing more charges over accused toilet spying

pWere sorry this feature is currently unavailable Were working to restore it Please try again laterppAdd articles to your saved list and come back to them any timeppPolice are working to identify up to 400 doctors nurses paramedics and hospital patients who were allegedly secretly filmed by a junior doctor on cameras hidden in the toilets of major Melbourne hospitalsppRyan Cho 28 was rearrested on Friday and faced court on fresh charges after police discovered more than 10000 intimate files on his electronic devices Melbourne Magistrates Court heardppCho was originally charged after a device was found in the staff toilets and showers at the Austin HospitalppBut police told the court hundreds of hours of vision were being reviewed and their investigation had now spread to the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre over four years from 2021 after named folders were uncovered on devices seized from Chos homeppThere is approximately 4500 intimate videos captured using toilet and shower facilities capturing the genital and anal regions of people in vulnerable positions Senior Constable Narelle Baker saidppIt names at least 406 female victims categorised into folders with names and workplaces Female doctors nurses paramedics and other staffppThe court heard that on June 25 a staff member at the Austin in Heidelberg first raised concerns about a man loitering in the staff toilet areas of the emergency departmentppAt the time investigations had already begun into toilet blockages and damage that police now allege was done to force victims into cubicles where cameras were hiddenppBaker told the court hospital staff reported Cho had been hanging around the hospital outside his rostered hours including on July 3 when a nurse found a backpack with a camera inside hanging on a removable white hook The white hooks were found in various places including patient toiletsppDuring a search of Chos home police seized two mobile phones a laptop and a hard drive alongside mesh bags with a likeness to the backpack found at the hospitalppBaker said a search of the Austin Hospital later uncovered white removable hooks on other levels not installed by management raising concerns that filming may have occurred in other areasppThe parents of Ryan Cho leave the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday nightCredit Jason SouthppOn one of the phones linked to the accused Baker said police found a threehour video they allege showed Cho setting up the secret camerappOn a laptop police allegedly found 10374 files made up of video and still images organised into folders and subfoldersppBaker said many of them close to 400 named victims hospitals and wards the footage may have been captured inppPolice allege other files were created outside healthcare settings including homes between 2021 and 2025ppIn opposing bail Baker said Cho posed a risk to the public and that staff at the hospitals were traumatised by the allegationsppThey no longer feel safe He is calculated and obsessed Baker saidppHe devoted an enormous amount of time keeping his colleagues under surveillance tampering with toilets to draw his victims into cubicles where devices were set upppBaker said further analysis was being done to identify victims and that further charges were expectedppChos lawyer George Balot said his client had arranged to see a sexologist and psychologist to seek treatmentppThe Austin Hospital in HeidelbergCredit Eddie JimppThe court heard Cho who is of Malaysian descent moved to Australia in 2017 and was working as a doctor and resident surgeon at the Austin Hospital at the time of his arrestppBalot said it was Chos first time in custody and the now suspended medical practitioner had no prior convictionsppHe said Cho had the support of his family who had flown over on tourist visas from Singapore to support their eldest son while also offering a 10000 surety and supervision if their son was releasedppBalot said any alleged risks could be managed with strict bail conditions including orders prohibiting the 28yearold from possessing a mobile phone and a plan for him to attend sexrelated therapyppThe matter is contested Balot saidppThere is a presumption of bail My client is able to comply with any strict conditions of bail They can ameliorate any risk of reoffendingppChos mother sat in the second row throughout the lengthy hearing largely with her eyes closed while his father Wilson Cho vowed to support him any way that I canppCho is facing charges including stalking producing intimate images using an optical surveillance device and failing to comply with directions to assistppMagistrate James Henderson ultimately refused bail remanding the accused in custody until his next court dateppPublic records show Cho graduated from Monash University in 2022 and first registered as a medical practitioner in January 2023ppStart the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories analysis and insights Sign up for our 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