N.S. doctor facing 3 new sexual assault charges after acquittal

A Nova Scotia family doctor who was acquitted of sexual assault in October is facing three new sexual assault charges in Amherst, N.S. 

A lawyer appeared Monday on behalf of 64-year-old Dr. Oluwarotimi (Tim) Fashoranti in Amherst provincial court, where Fashoranti was formally charged with assaulting three women in the Amherst area. 

The identities of the alleged victims are covered by a publication ban. 

Fashoranti's medical licence has been suspended on an interim basis since Nov. 12, 2020.

The alleged assaults cover different time frames. 

The first charge covers the period from Jan. 1, 1998, to Dec. 31, 2002.  The second charge covers the period between Jan. 1, 2003, and Aug. 31, 2003. The third incident allegedly occurred on Jan. 4, 2004. 

Fashoranti's lawyer, Stan MacDonald of Halifax, said his client will plead not guilty, and will fight all charges at trial. 

MacDonald said the matter is adjourned until Jan. 31, when Fashoranti will enter a not guilty plea, and will choose between a jury trial, or a trial by judge alone.

Acquittal in October

Fashoranti was found not guilty of sexual assault in October after a provincial court judge dismissed the charge against him. He had been accused of fondling a female patient's breast in Springhill, N.S., during a physical exam. 

Due to a 2010 complaint against Fashoranti involving inappropriate touching of a female patient, he had been practising under licence restrictions stipulating he must always have a medical observer present when interacting with patients. 

The details of that restriction had to be prominently posted wherever he practised medicine. 

The Nova Scotia College of Physicians and Surgeons indicated it is aware of the new charges against Fashoranti.