Hamilton family doctor charged with sexual assault

A Hamilton doctor whose medical licence was suspended last year after he made lewd comments toward a female patient has been charged with sexual assault.

Dr. Koma Israel, a general practitioner with a clinic on Upper Ottawa Street, was charged with one count of sexual assault on May 22.

Hamilton police spokesperson Jackie Penman said the assault was not doctor-patient related, but noted the victim and Israel were known to one another.

Police did not issue a news release about the assault because investigators could find no concrete evidence" to suggest there were other victims, she said. Penman said Israel is not considered a risk to public safety.

However, a family member of the victim alleges that the assault occurred during a medical consultation in late December. They say the victim had been a patient of Israel's for roughly four years at the time.

The family member, who reached out to The Spectator and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the alleged assault was physical and took place at the doctor's clinic.

The family member claimed the alleged incident left the victim traumatized." The victim is no longer a patient of the family doctor and has sought counselling as a result of the alleged assault.

Police would not confirm if the assault related to the charges involved a patient and occurred in Israel's office.

We will not be commenting further on the nature of the relationship in order to protect the identity of the victim," Penman said.

Reached by phone Monday, Israel's office said he was unavailable for comment.

The sexual assault charge comes nearly one year after Israel was suspended by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario after pleading no contest to an allegation he engaged in disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional conduct with a patient.

The complaint stemmed from an appointment with a female patient.

According to the college's decision, issued in May 2019, Israel told his patient during an appointment a woman needs a man and that may be her problem was that she did not have a husband or a boyfriend."

Israel also asked the patient in an inappropriate and unprofessional manner whether she was attaining sexual satisfaction by masturbating."

The college said Israel's comments to the patient - who had been seeing Israel for nearly four years - were degrading," insensitive" and disrespectful."

Israel was barred from practice for one month and ordered to pay $6,000 in costs to the college.

It is not clear whether the sexual assault charge will yield a college suspension or disciplinary hearing.

The college's website makes no mention of recent registration suspensions or practice restrictions imposed on Israel's doctor profile.

Sebastian Bron is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sbron@thespec.com