A FILIPINO physician, who was accused of sexually assaulting a male patient at a hospital in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 2016, is being sent home to the country after entering a one-year special probation program under a United States court.
Dr. Louie Mar Gangcuangco, 31, was accused of groping his 53-year-old patient during a physical examination. He was placed under the probation program on Dec. 19 before being sent home by an American court.
“He is going back to the Philippines where he is not likely to offend again,” lawyer Sean Barrett, Gangcuangco’s legal counsel, told Connecticut Superior Court Judge Maureen Dennis.
Dennis granted Gangcuangco’s request for accelerated rehabilitation, a pretrial program for people accused of nonviolent crimes, according to a Connecticut Post report.
The Post reported that Gangcuangco did not plead guilty to fourth-degree sexual assault charges against him. With the one-year probation, Gangcuangco’s original charge could be dismissed if he does not get rearrested during the probationary period, it added.
In a statement he posted on the website Scribd, the doctor said he was “maliciously accused” by the patient, said it was “absolutely not true” and he had pleaded “not guilty” to the act.
Gangcuangco said it was a “very busy clinic day” when it happened. “I had to perform a full physical exam on the patient because he was due for a yearly check-up and had abnormal lab results that needed a groin exam.”
The patient consented to the exam and scheduled a follow-up appointment after three months, the doctor said, but a week later, the patient “started harassing me on the phone accusing me ‘why did you do that?’”
“I repeatedly denied his allegations. A few weeks later, I was shocked to see that I had a warrant of arrest,” Gangcuangco added.
The reasons for the “false accusation” became clear, he said, when the doctor hired an investigator to perform a background check on the victim.
“We found out that he has an extensive criminal history of violent crimes, including multiple counts of murder, that I even fear (sic) for my own safety,” Gangcuangco said. “My lawyer told me that the patient allegedly wanted hundreds of thousands of dollars to let the case go. I am innocent and I vowed to clear my name.”
According to a Wikipedia entry, Gangcuangco is “an HIV researcher, best-selling novelist, and one of the youngest licensed physicians from the Philippines.”
The doctor is also “the author of the multi-awarded Filipino novel ‘Orosa-Nakpil, Malate’ and is currently working as a clinical research associate for the Hawaii Center for AIDS, the Wikipedia entry adds.
Since the incident, Gangcuangco has lost his job and saw his working visa expire, forcing his return to the Philippines.
Curiously, Gangcuangco posted on his own blog that he received a “Balik Scientist” Award from the Department of Science and Technology last Dec. 1. He posted a photo receiving the award from Science Secretary Fortunato dela Pena and Undersecretary Carol Yorobe at the Sofitel Hotel in Manila.
The police report stated that the victim, who previously underwent open-heart surgery, went to the Bridgeport Hospital Clinic to seek professional advice before having his wisdom tooth extracted.
The patient described his experience with Gangcuangco, who asked him a series of health-related questions until he was escorted to the examination room.
Inside the room, Gangcuangco asked the victim to pull up his shirt “so that he could listen to his heart.”
The victim also claimed Gangcuangco also asked him to unbutton and unzip his jeans.
“[The victim] just figured the doctor wasn’t done with the examination,” the police report stated.
The Filipino doctor “went further” until the patient protested, the police report said.
Gangcuangco then “smiled at him, and [the victim] walked away. [The doctor] opened up the curtain, washed his hands and walked out,” the report added.
Police also said the doctor called the victim to ask him about his tooth extraction, and asked him for a dinner date.
The victim did not oppose the Connecticut court’s decision.
“I’m just not convinced he is remorseful,” the victim said in the Connecticut Post report, briefly glancing at Dr. Gangcuangco, who stared straight ahead.
“He had no permission, he shouldn’t have done it and I just hope he doesn’t do it again,” the victim added in the report.
