Jury opt to continue deliberations

DELIBERATIONS: The jury in a trial of local doctor accused of stupefying and indecently assaulting his patients is still deliberating. Photo/Duncan Brown

The jury in a trial of a doctor accused of stupefying and indecently assaulting his patients has chosen to continue deliberating after the jurors were unable to reach unanimous verdicts today.

David Kang Huat Lim, 41, has been on trial in the Napier District Court since last Monday after pleading not guilty to 13 charges; five of stupefying and eight of indecent assault.

This morning the jury retired to deliberate and just after 5pm the court heard the jury were unanimous on 10 of the 13 charges.

Judge Geoff Rea told them they had reached a point where it was possible to deliver a majority verdict, but reminded them they had to agree they wouldn't be able to reach a unanimous verdict. The jury chose to continue deliberating and went home for the night.

Lim is accused of unnecessarily administering the sedative Midazolam on four male patients for the purpose of indecently assaulting them while working as a GP at The Doctors in Hastings during 2014.

The jury has heard eight days' worth of evidence, including testimony from four complainants, expert witnesses and Lim who took the stand anddenied each of the charges under oath.

The defence's case had been that the patients knew Lim was "overtly gay" and that this, combined with Midazolam's side effect of hallucinations, lead the victims to see, hear and feel things that didn't happen.

Crown Prosecutor Steve Manning told the jury that Lim had lied on the stand and only had to join the dots to find that he had adminstered Midazolam with an ulterior motive.

He said Lim had used the drug to take advantage of his patients; knowing they would struggle to believe they had been touched by a doctor and doubt their recollections due to the effects of the sedation.

Deliberations will commence again at 9.30am.