Gynecologist charged with sexually abusing patients

A well-respected gynecologist in the US has been charged with sexually abusing his patients, most of whom were pregnant.

Dr Robert Hadden, 55, is accused of fondling and performing oral sex on the women between September 2011 and June 2012.

According to prosecutors, Hadden also subjected the women to "overly frequent and invasive breast exams" and asked them "invasive questions about their sex lives".

The abuse is alleged to have occurred in the rooms of his private Manhattan offices and only after nurses left the doctor and his patient alone in the examination room.

Hadden's lawyer, Isabelle Kishner, said her client would plead not guilty to all charges, calling him a "physician with an impeccable reputation".

It's not the first time Hadden's conduct has been questioned by police.

In 2012 two victims went to police claiming they had been sexually assaulted by Hadden, prompting him to stop seeing patients altogether.

That lawsuit ended up being dismissed after the prosecution failed to deliver documents by the court's deadline.

Hadden has since been released on a $21,253 bond.

Source: New York Daily News

Author: Natasha Lee, Approving editor: Kieran Campbell