A junior doctor accused of planting hidden recording devices in staff toilets at major Melbourne hospitals is now confronting a staggering 908 criminal charges after prosecutors filed hundreds of additional counts.
Mounting Charges and Alleged Crimes
Ryan Yi Cho, 28, was initially charged in connection with alleged offences at the Austin Hospital in Heidelberg, the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Police have now confirmed that no alleged offending at any new facilities has been identified, but the total number of charges has surged to 908.
The new charges add to an already extensive list that includes stalking, producing intimate images, and installing an optical surveillance device. During a court appearance in July, it was alleged police found 10,374 video and image files on several devices belonging to Cho, with Victoria Police stating as many as 460 people could be affected.
Bail Conditions and Family Support
Cho, of Croydon Hills in Melbourne's east, was granted bail by the Supreme Court in August under strict conditions. He was released after his parents flew in from Singapore to offer a $50,000 bond. His father, logistics manager Wilson Cho, told the court he had paid six months' advance rent on a Melbourne property and vowed to fully fund his son's living expenses and legal bills.
The court also heard Cho's parents had spent approximately $500,000 on his medical training. His bail conditions are severe: he must reside with a parent under a 9pm to 6am curfew, report to police three times weekly, and is prohibited from possessing any device capable of recording, including a mobile phone. He is also barred from leaving the country and must continue seeing a psychologist and sexologist.
Career Over Before It Began
The fallout from the allegations has been catastrophic for Cho's medical career. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency has suspended his medical licence, banning him from working or studying medicine. He is also prohibited from entering any of the hospitals where he previously worked.
Cho, who became an Australian citizen after arriving in 2017 to study at Monash University, had secured Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine degrees in 2022. He was working as a resident surgeon at The Austin Hospital prior to his arrest. The court heard he had no prior criminal history in Australia or abroad.
Police allege Cho captured footage by hanging mesh bags containing mobile phones on the back of staff toilet doors. One phone allegedly contained 4,500 intimate videos, with one file running for over three hours, capturing hospital staff in states of undress. Justice James Elliott, who granted bail, noted Cho faces a bleak future whether cleared or not, with his medical career effectively over before it truly began.
