Graeme Stephen Reeves (born 1949) is a deregistered former gynecologist and obstetrician from New South Wales, Australia, dubbed the Butcher of Bega in the press.
Reeves' application for the position provided partial information about restrictions on his registration, but not the Professional Standards Committee's order that he not practice obstetrics.
[1] Jon Mortimer, the GSAHS Deputy Director of Medical Services, was suspended on full pay in May 2008 for failing to act on the information about Reeves' obstetrics ban revealed in the April 2002 reference check.
[6] Reeves was struck from the register of doctors (forbidden to practice medicine) in 2004, on the grounds that he had breached the Medical Board's 1997 ban on his practising obstetrics, and had thus been guilty of gross misconduct.
[5] The first public media report alleging further serious misconduct by Reeves while employed by GSAHS was on 17 February 2008, in a broadcast of the Sunday programme on the Nine Network, led by investigative journalist, Ross Coulthart.
[9] The media began to report additional complaints by Reeves' patients in February 2008, such as Marilyn Hawkins' allegation that he both sexually assaulted her and botched her operation.
[14] General practitioners in Bega complained that the press had created an unfair suspicion surrounding the local medical community and maintained that they had not been aware of any dissatisfaction with Reeves during his employment by GSAHS.
[9] The NSW Police established Strike Force Tarella on 27 February 2008, comprising 12 detectives from both the Child Protection and Sex Crimes Squad and the far south coast local area command.
[15] In May 2008 Reeves made a statement to a Special Commission of Inquiry into the public health system stating that he had worked illegally at the GSAHS hospitals because he felt his help was badly needed.
[18] On 31 July 2008, Garling handed down his findings on the Reeves case and concluded that his "intentional and calculated dishonesty" was the main reason he was employed by GSAHS.
[27] On 10 March 2011 a NSW District Court found him guilty of maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm on Carolyn DeWaegeneire, whose genitals he removed without her consent.
[28] On 1 July he was sentenced for a two to three-and-a-half-year period for the assault on DeWaegeneire and other patients, together with the financial deception involved in practising obstetrics in Bega without registration.