Trial of former Kitchener neurologist opens with summary of years of alleged sexual assaults
Jeffrey Sloka has pleaded not guilty to all counts of sexual assault
Warning: This story contains some graphic details.
The opening day of the trial of former Kitchener, Ont., neurologist Jeffrey Sloka heard a sweeping overview of dozens of alleged sexual assaults dating back to 2010.
Sloka is charged with 63 counts of sexual assault, after some earlier charges were withdrawn at the request of the Crown.
He has pleaded not guilty to all counts.
The alleged victims ranged in age from their teens to their 40s and 50s at the time of the alleged incidents. They sought treatment from Sloka for a variety of conditions, from migraines to head injuries.
On Monday, the court heard the patients' experiences with Sloka often followed a similar trajectory.
He allegedly asked them to undress so he could perform a physical or skin examination.
In many cases, he allegedly touched his patients' breasts. In some instances, it's alleged, he inserted his fingers inside of them.
One patient, who was 19 at the time, became upset while he did this; Sloka allegedly told her to "meditate" on the exam table until she calmed herself down.
Lost medical licence in 2019
The Crown prosecutor told the court the similarity of the allegations supports the credibility of the complainants and the position that Sloka's actions were motivated by a sexual purpose.
The assaults are all alleged to have taken place in the private clinic Sloka previously operated out of Grand River Hospital.
Sloka was stripped of his licence to practise medicine in 2019 after the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario's disciplinary committee found he had sexually abused four patients. Sloka pleaded no contest.
The criminal allegations against Sloka have not been proven in court.
The judge-alone trial in the Ontario Court of Justice in Kitchener is in person and expected to last 98 days.
A publication ban protects the identity of the alleged victims.