Zurich doctor abused patients under anaesthesia – unimpeded for over six years
An Austrian gastroenterologist in Zurich is alleged to have filmed and abused dozens of women whilst under sedation. Despite suspicions since 2020, he was not arrested until July 2026.
Zurich doctor under suspicion for years – arrest only in 2026
An Austrian gastroenterologist is alleged to have sexually abused and secretly filmed dozens of patients under sedation in Zurich over a period of more than six years. According to Blick, citing NZZ am Sonntag, the doctor had been under police observation since 2020 – but was not arrested until July 2026. Since then he has been held in pre-trial detention. Investigations are running in parallel in Switzerland and Austria.
One victim described her experience to NZZ am Sonntag: In July 2023, she consulted the doctor for a colonoscopy. The midwife described him as "charming" and "likeable" – and trusted him. After the procedure, she awoke with severe abdominal pain, "like after giving birth to my children". Three years later, she recognised his name in a report about the ongoing investigation. "When I imagined how he was removing my underwear, I had to vomit," she says.
Zurich's public prosecutor's office is investigating on suspicion of sexual assault and violation of privacy or confidentiality through secret recordings. Police have secured "large quantities of data". Affected women were asked to submit photographs in order to be identified in the seized material. According to Austrian authorities, the doctor is alleged to have abused patients since 2005.
Research by NZZ am Sonntag shows that authorities were informed of the suspect early on: in 2020 he was reported to police in Zurich, and officers found a hidden camera in his practice. Nevertheless, he was permitted to continue working. Zurich's health authority only initiated supervisory proceedings in 2022 and restricted his work – but did not stop him completely. In the meantime, he is alleged to have abused further women.
Franziska Sprecher, an expert in health law at the University of Bern, criticised the lack of coordination between the competent authorities to NZZ am Sonntag. "Time and again we see that even convicted doctors continue to practise in another country," she says. Additionally, Switzerland's confusing reporting system makes it difficult for patients to report cases of abuse.
The case is part of a series of sexual violence incidents involving sedation. Most recently, Aargau ex-council member Patrick F. caused an outcry: he is alleged to have rendered his partner, her then-underage daughter and his ex-wife defenceless with knockout drops in 2023 and subsequently sexually abused them. According to the public prosecutor, he is said to have created photographic and video material in the process.
Source: Blick