A doctor from Melbourne’s east, who is accused of secretly filming oblivious co-workers in hospital toilets, allegedly captured hundreds of colleagues on video, a court has heard.
Ryan Yi Cho, 28, of Croydon Hills, was arrested on Friday and charged with three counts of producing an intimate image, one count of using an optical surveillance device, and one count of failing to comply with a police officer’s direction to assist an investigation.
He appeared at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court that evening, supported by his parents who avoided the media by covering their faces with scarves and hoods.
The court heard that officers claimed to have found 10,374 video and image files of his alleged victims on several devices.
Victoria Police told the court there could be as many as 460 different people allegedly affected, who had all been named on numerous folders found on Cho’s computer.
The folders allegedly contained a variety of footage of both men and women using hospital toilets, the court heard.
It was also alleged in court that Cho captured much of the footage by hanging mesh bags containing mobile phones on the back of staff toilet doors, which police allege he activated to capture hours of lewd footage.
One phone allegedly contained 4,500 intimate videos of staff members, the court heard.
Doctor Ryan Yi Cho, 28, (centre) was arrested on Friday and charged with three counts of producing an intimate image after allegedly secretly recording videos of his hospital co-workers
Cho’s parents (pictured) hid their faces as they left Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Friday
One video file ran for more than three hours and allegedly captured various hospital staff in states of undress as they used the toilet, the court heard.
It was also heard that Cho is alleged to have sabotaged nearby toilets by removing flush buttons, clogging them with toilet paper, or locking them from the outside, so colleagues had no other option but to use the toilet he was filming in.
Detectives believe Cho had been offending across various Melbourne hospitals from as far back as 2021, the court heard.
The court heard police believed the majority of Cho’s alleged victims were doctors, nurses, paramedics and other hospital staff.
But some videos appeared to have allegedly been captured in residential settings, with the court told detectives were afraid they included previous housemates of Cho.
Detective Senior Constable Narelle Baker described Cho’s alleged offending to the court as ‘calculated and obsessed’ and said it took ‘an enormous amount of time’ to compile.
She said Cho had allegedly abused his position of trust and shown absolutely no remorse.
The fresh charges are in addition to those previously laid earlier this month, a week after a mobile phone was found in a staff bathroom at The Austin Hospital.
Cho was represented by top criminal lawyer George Balot (pictured) who argued his client should be released on bail
Last week, Cho was charged with other offenses after a mobile phone was allegedly found in the staff bathroom at The Austin Hospital in Melbourne (stock image)
Cho appeared in court defended by top criminal lawyer George Balot, of Balot Reilly Criminal Lawyers, who argued his client ought to be released on bail.
His client was supported in court by his parents, who flew in from Singapore to offer the court a $10,000 surety to ensure he complied with any bail conditions.
Police strongly argued against Cho being released on bail during the court session, arguing he was not only a risk to the community, but a flight risk.
The court heard that, while Cho was born in Malaysia, he was now an Australian citizen.
Mr Balot told the court his client was willing to go without a mobile phone while free in the community.
He had been sacked and banned from attending Melbourne hospitals, he said.
Mr Balot said his client’s parents would remain in Australia and ensure Cho complied with his bail conditions.
‘He has engaged criminal lawyers, a psychologist, a sexologist, his parents are in Australia to do whatever it takes to have him released to their care,’ he said.
Cho’s parents are understood to have flown into Australia from Singapore to support him
‘It is conceded that it is a strong prosecution case … but where a person is receiving appropriate support, and has been on bail for two weeks, complied with bail impeccably, the risk can be managed and it can be managed by the imposition of special conditions.’
Cho had been allegedly caught by one individual who became suspicious of the mesh bag hanging from the back of a toilet cubicle, the court heard.
The court heard police later found a series of temporary hooks allegedly used by Cho to hang the bags in various staff and public toilets.
Once arrested, the court heard Cho was allegedly reluctant to cooperate with police and refused to hand over PIN codes to two phones they seized.
Mr Balot had hoped Cho could be released on a $10,000 surety, live with his father, hand over his phone and continue treatment with his doctors.
But Magistrate James Henderson ruled Cho was an unacceptable risk of re-offending.
The bail, which Cho was granted initially on July 10 after his arrest, was withdrawn. He will remain behind bars until the matter returns to court in November.
