Doctor sentenced to 37 years for sexual crimes in Catanduvas

A general practitioner in Catanduvas, Brazil, has been sentenced to 37 years and 11 months in prison for sexual crimes committed against patients. The investigation, conducted by the Civil Police of Santa Catarina, revealed that the doctor exploited the trust inherent in the physician-patient relationship to perform non-consensual sexual acts under the guise of clinical procedures.

The crimes occurred between October 2024 and September 2025 at the Hospital Municipal Nossa Senhora do Perpétuo Socorro and a local health center. The victims include ten women, among whom were a 17-year-old adolescent and a pregnant woman. The court found that the defendant performed invasive examinations without technical necessity or authorization to satisfy his own desires.

In addition to the prison sentence, the judiciary ordered the defendant to forfeit his public office and pay R$ 20,000 in moral damages to each of the ten victims. The defendant, who has been in preventive detention since March, was denied the right to appeal the sentence while remaining free.