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A New Zealand doctor facing child sex charges is working in an Australian medical clinic - despite being struck off that country's medical register.
The 47-year-old cannot be identified in New Zealand because of name suppression. He has been charged with indecently assaulting a 7-year-old girl in 1993.
A pre-trial hearing was held in the Hamilton District Court last week but a trial date has not been set.
The Australian Capital Territory Medical Board confirmed the doctor was removed from the Australian medical register in January 2007.
Board registrar Bob Bradford said the man contacted the board in October 2006 "making certain admissions" but could not tell the Herald on Sunday what they were. He was suspended until January last year, when he agreed for his name to be removed.
Bradford said the man could no longer practise medicine or call himself a doctor, but was working as a clinical thermographer - a role involving infrared diagnostic imaging.
Canberra police are understood to be following the New Zealand court proceedings but declined to comment.
The doctor returned to New Zealand and was charged last July with the sexual assault.
He surrendered his passport but his bail conditions were changed so he could return to Australia.
It's not the first time the man has faced serious allegations. He was found guilty of professional misconduct and placed under supervision for three years for his treatment of an elderly patient who died under his care. Later, he was found guilty of conduct unbecoming of a medical practitioner over his treatment of a female patient.
A Medical Council of New Zealand spokesman said he had not been registered to practise here since November 2002. The council was unaware of the charges against him until a newspaper reported his first court appearance last July.
The Health and Disability Commission has no involvement in the case but commissioner Ron Paterson has previously called for transtasman medical authorities to improve information sharing.
The Medical Council is sending more material, such as newspaper articles, interview transcripts or links to television programmes, to other medical registration authorities "who we believe may have an interest in a particular doctor who may not have fully disclosed performance or competence issues", a spokesman said.
