Chaudhry Ali Shahbaz: Pathology clinic staffer found guilty of sexually assaulting patient three times

WARNING: GRAPHIC DETAILS A healthcare worker has been found guilty of violating a patient for his own sexual gratification at a clinic in Perth’s southern suburbs. Phlebotomist Chaudhry Ali Shahbaz, 29, went on trial in the District Court of WA this week, fighting three counts of sexual penetration without consent, but was unanimously found guilty by a jury on all counts on Friday. The complainant, aged in her 30s, testified through a Chinese interpreter that her general practitioner sent her to a Willetton pathology clinic on August 31, 2023 for blood tests as she and her husband were planning a baby. She said Shahbaz then told her she also needed to do a PCR test “through the vagina.” “I ask him, ‘can I do that myself?’ He then replied with lots of medical terms ... because I don’t follow the medical terms I said ‘I may not be able to do that by myself’,” she said. The woman said he directed her to pull her pants and underwear down while he inserted the swab three times, causing her pain. Prosecutor Thomas Mooney said in his closing address on Friday that Shahbaz deceived her, telling her she needed an intimate swab to test for chlamydia - on top of a urine test - when the GP referral form did not “specify the bodily site for collection.” The prosecutor said Shahbaz remarked “that’s beautiful” when he saw her genitals and began to breathe heavily, suggesting he was acting on “sexual urges.” The woman said he then remarked “I can make love for a long time”, “Pakistani men like making love but not the women” and “if you’re going to a massage shop you can see a lot of Asian women engaged in sex work.” Defence counsel Tom Percy argued his client believed the doctor had requested — through commonly used punctuation on the referral form — a separate PCR to the urine test. And the woman did it herself, Mr Percy said. “His case has always been ‘I just didn’t do that’,” the KC said. “We say, she took the samples, probably somewhat clumsily and reluctantly, in the toilet while she took her urine sample.” The jury deliberated for about two hours and family members wept as the verdicts were handed down. Shahbaz was granted bail on strict conditions including daily reporting to a police station and a $150,000 surety ahead of a sentencing hearing on November 11. Sexual Assault Resource Centre 1800 199 888