Toronto doctor loses licence after pleading guilty to criminally harassing several girls

A Toronto doctor has had his medical licence revoked after he pleaded guilty to criminal harassment of more than a dozen girls and admitted to public masturbation.

A tribunal at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario found the facts admitted by Armen Parajian established professional misconduct and were grounds enough for a reprimand and to have his certification of registration revoked in March.

The tribunal decision, released last week, says Parajian pleaded guilty in criminal court to harassing 13 female victims over a six-month period in the city's Beaches neighbourhood starting in November 2020.

The ruling cites an agreed statement of fact court heard in 2021 that said Parajian would drive slowly near the girls in his white Jeep, noting 12 of the victims were between the ages of 10 and 15. On more than one occasion, it appeared to the victims that he was pretending to use his phone so he could record or photograph them, the statement of fact said.

"As a result, the victims reasonably feared for their safety based on their perception of the accused's conduct," the statement reads. "The accused was reckless as to whether his conduct of driving slowly in the vicinity of the victims would cause them to feel harassed."

The tribunal ruling said Parajian, a thoracic surgeon, also admitted to masturbating in the passenger seat of his vehicle while parked on a residential street, as witnessed by an adult victim.

It also noted that for about two years before the specified events, there were numerous reports of indecent exposure by a man in a white Jeep.

A victim impact statement from a mother said that his actions have left her feeling stressed, sad and scared for the safety of her children and her community, and that she now worries when she has to take her child to a new doctor.

"I used to have a certain level of trust and respect for that physician simply because they were a medical professional. Now, that pre-established trust is gone," the statement reads. "I am anxious and skeptical of anyone who treats my children for the first time."

In another impact statement, parents wrote how their daughter kept having to look over her shoulder in the community, always on high alert.

Character letters in support of Parajian, including from his wife and two friends, emphasized his kindness and compassion, according to the tribunal filings.

For the criminal charges, Parajian was sentenced to probation for rehabilitation and ongoing community supervision for three years, which he has since completed.

"Dr. Parajian has been found guilty of a criminal offence relevant to his suitability to practise and his conduct would be reasonably regarded by registrants as disgraceful, dishonourable and unprofessional," the tribunal wrote in its findings.

"Patients come to physicians for protection and healing. The publicity around these incidents has diminished the public's confidence that any physician they visit will care for them and they will be safe in their vulnerable relationships with them. Revocation will help maintain that confidence."