A former Bendigo GP is accused of drugging and raping a pregnant patient, among a slew of alleged historical sexual offences against women and girls.
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Dr David Frederick Miller, 76, is charged with one count of rape, 19 counts of unlawful and indecent assault, and three counts of indecent assault.
He was granted bail in the Bendigo Magistrates' Court on Friday, having been extradited from New South Wales.
Most of the alleged offending was committed against patients of Dr Miller while he was working in Bendigo.
Dr Miller was charged with the rape of a woman in her home in 1978, when she saw him with concerns about her pregnancy.
He allegedly raped the woman after giving her an injection that made her lose movement in her arms and legs.
Dr Miller was accused of indecently assaulting the same woman in his car in the early 1980s.
He was also charged with sexually touching a 10-year-old girl during a consultation in the 1970s.
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Dr Miller allegedly committed similar offending against her older sister on two occasions after initiating a massage to relieve stress.
The court heard Dr Miller allegedly assaulted their mother on two occasions when he refused to refer her to a gynaecologist for her health concerns and instead told her he would treat her.
Dr Miller was also accused of initiating a conversation with a girl about her periods in his car and telling her she needed a physical examination before assaulting her.
It was alleged he continued to offend against the girl for a period of about five years.
On one occasion, he allegedly drove her to his clinic and gave her an injection that made her feel "woozy" before assaulting her.
On another occasion Dr Miller allegedly assaulted her in his home.
The doctor was also charged with the indecent assault of a girl aged five to six years old on two occasions.
Detective Senior Constable Scott Tuddenham, from the Central Victoria Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team, said he opposed bail as he held concerns Dr Miller would not appear at court on future occasions.
Detective Senior Constable Tuddenham said Dr Miller was first charged on summons to appear in court in August, but did not appear nor arrange legal representation.
He said Dr Miller had also been uncooperative with the investigation.
In arguing for bail, defence lawyer Luke McPhie said delay was an issue.
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He said Dr Miller planned to plead not guilty and a trial would likely not be held until 2021 or later.
Mr McPhie said his client was also vulnerable with significant health issues, including Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, alcohol-induced brain damage, prostate cancer, osteoarthritis and bipolar affective disorder.
There was some confusion around the August court date and Dr Miller had experienced a fall around that time, Mr McPhie said, which could explain his absence.
He said Dr Miller understood the consequences of failing to comply with bail.
It was also submitted he posed no risk to anyone's safety and the court heard there had been no alleged offending since the 1980s.
Magistrate Sarah Leighfield found there were compelling reasons to grant Dr Miller bail, with the condition he continue residing at a NSW address.
Ms Leighfield warned him that if he failed to appear at court without providing a medical certificate, he would end up back in custody.
Dr Miller will next appear in court in April for a committal mention.
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