A senior Queensland doctor caught filming up women’s skirts at a Brisbane shopping centre was “unravelling” in a “self-destructive and reckless spiral” after complaints were made about his workplace performance, a court has heard. Doctor Mohamed Zaahid Pandie was the clinical director of paediatric emergency medicine at The Prince Charles Hospital when he was caught using his phone to film up the skirts of seven women at a Mt Gravatt shopping centre in October last year. He yesterday pleaded guilty to recording the women, including shop staff and customers, aged between 18 and 27, in what Magistrate Anthony Gett described as “lewd and lascivious” offending. Defence barrister Greg McGuire said the 44-year-old South African-born doctor had fallen from grace. “Prior to the events of October 2018, the defendant had led a blameless, productive and indeed successful life until he engaged in this behaviour, which is perhaps correctly described as self-destructive, and one immediately asks what the hell went wrong,” Mr McGuire said. The court heard in February last year, Pandie was involved in a workplace incident relating to the management and care of a baby, and about his interpersonal manner to nursing staff, and was asked to take leave. “That led to obviously a lot of stress, gossip and innuendo,” Mr McGuire said. “He ends up getting suspended without pay, gets involved in a legal battle with respect to that, an order was made to place him on pay, that’s still an ongoing battle.” Mr McGuire said the complaints led Pandie, who is also the hospital’s deputy director of emergency services, to feel emotionally abandoned and isolated by his colleagues and resentful of his workplace, sparking his self-destructive behaviour. He said Pandie, who is still employed with the hospital but on leave, was diagnosed with chronic depression at the time of the offending. “Your honour, it’s a very sad state. You will see from the material how many people speak very highly of him even with knowledge of these offences,” the barrister said. “He’s been involved for a long period of time in effectively saving the lives of children. “It takes little imagination to recognise the extraordinary effects this has had, not only on himself, but his family.” Mr Gett said psychological reports tendered to the court showed Pandie was “starting to mentally and psychologically unravel… in the months preceding (the offending)”. “(Your doctor) also notes… that your capacity was somewhat impaired as a consequence of this major depressive illness… and your capacity to control your behaviours and also to know right from wrong was reduced or impaired,” Mr Gett said to Pandie. Pandie was sentenced to a 15-month probation order and no conviction was recorded. “Persons such as these victim are entitled to go about their business in public area without having persons such as yourself prey on them in a way that invades their privacy,” Mr Gett said. “The Queensland community deserves some protection from you in that regard.”
March 1, 2019
Commonwealth if Australia trading as the Department of Human Services will face a s.394 (Application for unfair dismissal remedy) accusation before Fair Work Deputy President Clancy in his Melbourne chambers (Graham).
March 1, 2019
A s.185 (Enterprise agreement) application by Hepatitis Victoria Incorporated T/A Hepatitis Victoria for its Hepatitis Victoria Agreement 2018-2020 has been ratified by Fair Work Commissioner Johns in Sydney on 27 February 2019.
March 1, 2019
The Commonwealth of Australia represented by the Department of Human Services has a s.739 (Application to deal with a dispute) matter with which it must deal before Fair Work Deputy President Kovacic in the Fair Work Commission Level 3 14 Moore Street Canberra at 2pm today (Davio-Milne).
March 1, 2019
Life Without Barriers is facing a s.739 (Application to deal with a dispute) before Fair Work Deputy President Saunders at Level 3, 237 Wharf Road, Newcastle at 11am (King).
March 1, 2019
Medibank Health Solutions Telehealth Pty Ltd will defend a s.394 (Application for unfair dismissal remedy) today in front of Fair Work Deputy President Beaumont in his WA chambers (Perry).
February 28, 2019
A s.185 (Enterprise agreement) application from Hepatitis Victoria Incorporated T/A Hepatitis Victoria for the Hepatitis Victoria Agreement 2018-2020 has been endorsed by Commissioner Johns sitting in Sydney on 27 February 2019.
February 27, 2019
A s.185 (Enterprise agreement) application from Ilesilver Pty Ltd as Trustee for the North Coast Radiology Trust T/A North Coast Radiology Group for the North Coast Radiology Group Health Professionals & Support Services Employees’ Enterprise Agreement 2018 has been approved by Fair Work Deputy President Masson in Melbourne on 26 February 2019.
