German doctor arrested on suspicion of raping sedated patients

"We are completely horrified at these allegations."
"We are completely horrified at these allegations." Photo credit: File

Warning: This article contains details that may disturb some people.

A hospital doctor in Germany has been arrested on suspicion of sedating women who had come to him for an MRT scan, and then filming himself raping them, a regional newspaper reported on Wednesday (local time).

"We are completely horrified at these allegations, for which there seems to be a lot of evidence," Matthias Ernst, director of the Bethel Evangelical Clinic in the western town of Bielefeld, told reporters, without confirming the details.

"You can imagine how this news has hit us like a shockwave."

Local police and judicial authorities in Bielefeld did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

The Westfalen Blatt Daily said the suspect, who was not named, was arrested after police, already suspecting that the doctor had been prescribing his patients unnecessary medication, came across the videos during a search of his home.

The doctor, who worked at the Bethel Evangelical Clinic, was no longer listed on its website, the newspaper said.

It was unknown how many women may have been raped, since it was unclear if the doctor had filmed every attack, according to the paper.

If you have witnessed or experienced sexual harassment or assault and would like to speak to someone, you could call the HELP support service.