A ‘foreign’ plastic surgeon accused of raping a patient on the operating table in Murcia was planning to leave the country, it has emerged.
The unnamed suspect is currently being held in prison as his case is investigated by a Molina de Segura court.
Investigators say the doctor told both the alleged victim, who was having breast surgery, and a friend who accompanied her that he intended to travel to the US shortly after the operation.
According to the case file, the flight was scheduled for Sunday December 14, around 10 days after the alleged assault, which is said to have taken place in a privately rented operating theatre in the city of Murcia.
The trip was described as a family visit rather than a professional engagement, as the doctor’s brother lives in the US.
However, both judicial police and the investigating judge concluded that the existence of the ticket – combined with the suspect’s foreign nationality and the risk of reoffending – justified ordering his immediate remand in custody.
Plans to leave Spain permanently
Investigators say the doctor had also expressed an intention to relocate permanently outside Spain, citing financial reasons and dissatisfaction with taxation.
According to statements given by the alleged victim and her companion, he mentioned either the United States or Dubai as possible destinations.
Although authorities accept that the travel plans pre-dated the alleged offence, the judge ruled that they significantly increased the risk of flight, reinforcing the decision to hold him in preventive detention.
Concerns over unidentified victims
The investigation remains ongoing, but police have warned of the possibility that there may be other potential victims who are currently unaware that they were assaulted.
Investigators told the court that patients undergoing procedures under sedation would have been unable to resist or even realise what was happening, leaving them without any practical means of defence.
They also noted that patients place absolute trust in medical professionals, making it highly unlikely that they would suspect sexual abuse – particularly during cosmetic procedures where post-operative discomfort is common and could easily be misattributed to surgery rather than an assault.
The conduct under investigation is described as an abuse of professional authority and trust, exploiting the imbalance of power inherent in a doctor-patient relationship.
The plastic surgeon had actively promoted himself on social media as a highly experienced international specialist, according to profiles reviewed by investigators.
In his public online presence, the doctor described himself as a specialist in plastic, aesthetic and reconstructive surgery, claiming 15 years of professional experience and training at hospitals abroad.
The incident under investigation allegedly took place on December 4 in an operating theatre at IMED Virgen de la Fuensanta Hospital, where the patient was undergoing breast surgery.
Nurses raised the alarm inside the operating theatre
According to court documents, the surgeon was accompanied in the operating area by two nurses, who became concerned after noticing behaviour they considered irregular and inappropriate once the patient was under anaesthesia.
Investigators say the nurses decided to record what they were witnessing on a mobile phone and later handed the footage to authorities.
The video, which is now part of the judicial case file, has been described as the key piece of evidence supporting the judge’s decision to order the surgeon’s pre-trial detention. The patient was unable to react or defend herself as she was sedated at the time.
The court has stressed that inquiries are ongoing and that the presumption of innocence applies.
