Douglas William McCarthy: Doctor who sexually abused teenage women over years jailed for twenty years | USAEMALL.com

A WA doctor who paid teenage girls for sex and indecent photographs has been jailed for 20 years.

Douglas William McCarthy was found guilty by a jury of all 14 charges against him last week, following a District Court trial.

The 63-year-old pleaded guilty to four charges relating to two girls mid-way through, but continued to protest his innocence over the other 10 charges.

On the witness stand, he insisted he believed his victims were over 16 and testified he was “extremely mad” and “devastated” when he found out two were in fact 15.

The abuse against the eight complainants occurred between 2019 and 2022 at his canal-side homes in Perth’s south and at hotels in the South West when he worked there as a locum.

The now suspended GP had persistent sexual relationships with five of the girls, sexually penetrated a sixth, possessed indecent images of a seventh teen and offered $8000 to an eighth girl, aged 17, to have sex with him seven times.

One pocketed $80,000 over the years.

The jury, which deliberated for a full day, were warned from the outset by prosecutor Sean Stocks that they would have to view more than three hours of “graphic and disturbing” images.

That was just a sample of McCarthy’s home-made “extensive video library” of child exploitation material, compiled for his “prurient sexual pleasure”.

It included vision of him having intercourse with multiple victims, with sex toys and kinky costumes involved, and he would even zoom in.

McCarthy, who ran a skin clinic, plied the girls with drugs and alcohol to make them compliant and bought them gifts including an unusual pet imported from interstate — with the value subtracted from his payment for sex.

“They were blinded by the riches that he offered, which was the grooming,” Mr Stocks said.

“He took advantage of their vulnerabilities.

“He used his social standing as a doctor to ward off suspicion generally.”

Mr Stocks said there was a consistent theme: offering money for obscene photographs, making sure they were inebriated at his “party house” and progressing to physical activity on his massage table then in bed. Threesomes were common.

The prosecutor described McCarthy as a predator who thought of the vulnerable girls as his “playthings”, making one victim feel “like an old prostitute” as she got older.

“That’s exactly how he was treating them,” Mr Stocks said.

“It was clear his interest was under 16 years old.

“He moves to the next one and the next one.

“It was about power, it was about sexual excitement and he didn’t care about these girls.”

McCarthy continued offending when he was recovering from knee surgery and couldn’t walk up stairs.

He paid one girl $1300 for her virginity and told them to call him a “good boy” as he finished sex.

Tragically, one teen believed she was in a relationship with McCarthy and that it wasn’t purely transactional.

Judge Wendy Gillan said McCarthy knew how old the girls were, saying one girl who gave evidence was still very young looking now.

“I reject entirely your evidence you didn’t know their ages,” Judge Gillan said.

“It matters not that they were prepared to engage in these acts with you.

“This offending involved a high level of corruption.”

McCarthy handed out medication for the chlamydia he had or may have given them — and even had the temerity to blame one of them for the disease even though he also was having sex with otherwomen, Judge Gillan said.

Defence lawyer Wayne Burg submitted that his client, in a letter to the judge, “shows some insight that he says the girls are blameless, he takes responsibility for his actions”.

Mr Stocks said he was sceptical of any remorse claims given how boldly McCarthy defended himself at trial.

As he bribed some of the girls to lie to investigating police – resulting in three charges of perverting the course of justice – McCarthy said: “I will go swinging”.

Judge Gillan agreed with Mr Stocks, saying she couldn’t accept he now had insight or was genuinely remorseful.

He will be eligible for parole after serving 18 years.

The judge read out a summary of the victims’ heartbreaking impact statements, detailing the deep trauma they were left with.

They spoke of shame, confusion about why they took part, depression, anxiety, flashbacks, exhausting panic attacks, nightmares and hospitalisations after self-harm.

One was unable to finish school, train and find work, with her mother likening her daughter’s suffering to “watching a light be extinguished”.

“She is now isolated and outside of normal life,” Judge Gillan said.

Another said her innocence had been stolen.

1800 RESPECT

Kid’s Helpline 1800 55 1800