Bowmanville doctor charged with sexual assault after allegations of inappropriate touching

A doctor has been arrested after a colleague came forward with allegations he touched them inappropriately.

Pheroze Bharucha, 65, operates a clinic near King St. East and St George St. A nurse who works there told police Bharucha touched them inappropriately. Investigators arrested Bharucha on one count of sexual assault. They made the arrest public on Aug. 16. He has since been released with conditions.

According to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, Bharucha operates his office from 222 King St. and has privileges at the Bowmanville Hospital. RateMDs, an independent doctor review site, features multiple negative reviews for Bharucha, which also allege inappropriate behaviour with patients.

These anonymous reviews allege Bharucha had either touched patients inappropriately or otherwise made patients uncomfortable. The most recent review from July 11 reads, “Please report this doctor to the medical board if he has done anything inappropriate. Please. So you can prevent it from happening with other people.”

Other allegations suggest he asked female patients to remove their shirts to listen with his stethoscopes. Overall, Bharucha has a three-star rating on the site.

None of the allegations against Bharucha have been proven in court.

Police are working to find any further victims. Sexual assault is defined as any unwanted touching of a sexual nature. There is no statute of limitations and survivors can report assaults anytime.

Anyone with information can call police at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 1613 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).