Zimbabwean doctor charged with sexual assualt in Canada

Zimbabwean doctor charged with sexual assault in Canada

By Keith Fraser
19/12/03
A ZIMBABWEAN doctor who was upgrading his medical skills at Royal Columbian Hospital in Canada has been charged with sexually assaulting three female members of the hospital staff.

Dr. Floyd Sekeramayi, 32, was arrested when he appeared with his lawyer at New Westminster police headquarters this week. He was released on an undertaking to appear in New Westminster Provincial Court January 5.

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Sekeramayi was placed on indefinite leave by the hospital, an internal investigation was launched and police were contacted after several staff members filed complaints in October.

One of the alleged victims is a nurse with nearly 20 years' experience at the hospital. Another is a nurse's aide and a third is an orderly.

New Westminster police Staff Sgt. Casey Dehaas said yesterday there may be more victims and encouraged anyone with information to contact police. He said the alleged sexual assaults were in the nature of "fondling, touching and groping" and dated to July this year.

Sekeramayi graduated from medical school in Zimbabwe in 1995 and came to Canada in 1999. In order to qualify to practise medicine at Royal Columbian starting in July 2001, he passed the necessary examinations at the University of B.C to ensure his qualifications were equivalent to those of a B.C. graduate medical student.

Dr. Morris Van Andel, registrar of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C., said the African physician received an educational permit to join the hospital staff under the supervision of the orthopedics department.

"He was sponsored independently by a number of groups who are supporting him" in Canada, Van Andel said. Any action by the college at this point would be "superfluous" since Sekeramayi cannot practise medicine anywhere at the moment, said Van Andel.

Meanwhile a Zimbabwean man charged with multiple counts of rape and infecting 3 women with HIV/Aids is still in police custody awaiting trial.

As exclusively revealed on this website, 24-year-old Shingirayi Nyarirangwe was arrested in September for 'wilfully infecting two women with HIV'. He faces 25 charges all relating to women with whom he had sex with.

The charges include wounding with reckless disregard, infecting with HIV, criminal nuisance, assault, rape, kidnapping, threatening to kill and unlawfully taking a motor vehicle. The Zimbabwean national who has lived in New Zealand since early 2001, was remanded in custody appeared in court on Tuesday for further remand.

His lawyer Roger Chambers said he wanted all charges, including two others to which Nyarirangwe has already pleaded not guilty (assault and intimidation) to be heard at the same time.

Nyarirangwe said the allegations against him were “petty”, describing the whole saga as a “love circle blown out of proportion”.

It emerged that one of the complainants had tried, however unsuccessfully, to see Nyarirangwe in prison where he is held. Nyarirangwe said of her visit: “She came to see me Monday. She still loves me but she wasn't allowed in. This is a love circle that was blown out of proportion by a jealousy Zimbabwean lady who works in a massage parlour. This Zimbabwean girl (name supplied) brewed all the allegations against me in a feat of jealousy that I was going out with someone else.”

A friend said this week: “A Zimbabwean lady is the one who reported all the cases of rape, assault, car theft etc after her relationship with Shingi had become sour. Apparently she knew the white lady who was literally living in with Shingi and then managed to convince her to press charges as well.
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