Jury in case of Calgary psychiatrist accused of molesting his patients goes a third day
CALGARY - For a third straight day a seven man-four woman jury will seek to determine the fate of a prominent Calgary psychiatrist accused of molesting several of his court-appointed patients.
Dr. Aubrey Levin, 74, is accused of sexually assaulting nine of his male patients, all of whom were assigned to him through the courts between 1999 and 2010.
The case was handed to the jury on Friday but it failed to reach a verdict for a second straight day Saturday.
The allegations came to light in 2010 after one of the patients came forward with secret videos he recorded during court-ordered sessions with the psychiatrist.
The videos, played in court last fall, show Levin undoing the man's belt and jeans and appearing to fondle him.
The patient, identified only as R.B. in court, was on probation at the time the videos were taken and had been ordered by a court to see Levin twice a month.
The man said he had told authorities about previous assaults and no one believed him, so he bought a spy camera and brought it to his appointments. After Levin was arrested, other former patients came forward with abuse allegations.
Levin, who immigrated to Canada from South Africa, has denied all the allegations and claimed he was conducting examinations to help with sexual dysfunction.
He was frequently used by the courts to assess people and provide expert opinions at hearings.
The case took a strange twist after it was sent to the jury.
A juror who was dismissed a couple of weeks ago told the court she`d been approached near the court house and offered an envelope full of cash to find Levin not guilty.
The psychiatrist's wife, Erica Levin, 69, has been under house arrest for contempt of court and is expected to be charged with obstruction of justice over the next few days.
