Singaporean trainee doctor in Melbourne arrested over alleged secret filming of hospital staff in toilets
The Straits Times reported that Ryan Cho, aged either 27 or 28 according to varying media accounts, was working at Melbourne's Austin Hospital when staff raised suspicions about a man loitering in the emergency department's toilets.
According to The Age, on June 25, a hospital employee flagged concerns, which came amid ongoing internal investigations into frequent toilet blockages and damage. Police now believe the damage was intentional — meant to steer victims into specific cubicles rigged with recording devices.
On July 3, a nurse discovered a mesh bag containing a mobile phone in a staff toilet. Hospital security later found the same bag again, prompting police intervention. Cho was arrested, and authorities seized two mobile phones, a laptop, and a hard drive, along with several mesh bags and removable hooks similar to those seen in the toilets.
ABC News reported that Cho had been spotted in hospital areas outside his official working hours on multiple occasions.
A deeper investigation into his devices revealed more than 10,000 images and videos — many allegedly filmed without consent between 2021 and 2025. The footage reportedly showed the genital areas of victims in showers or toilets, with a significant number of the visuals featuring female doctors, nurses, paramedics, and other hospital personnel.
Court documents cited by 1news in New Zealand stated that the content was categorised in folders, some labelled with the names of victims and hospitals, including the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and The Royal Melbourne Hospital. The files were reportedly sorted into 'Tier 1' and 'Tier 2' rankings.
There were also videos believed to have been taken outside healthcare facilities, including in homes.
Cho was initially arrested on July 10 and released on bail. He was re-arrested on July 25 and denied bail. He is currently remanded in custody and is scheduled to appear in court on August 29.
Senior Constable Narelle Baker told the court Cho 'devoted an enormous amount of time keeping his colleagues under surveillance, tampering with toilets to draw his victims into (cubicles) where devices were set up', adding that he appeared 'calculated and obsessed'.
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency has since suspended Cho's medical registration.
Austin Health chief executive Jodie Geissler said in a statement: 'This has been an incredibly distressing situation for our staff, and their safety and well-being is our absolute priority. Right now, our focus is on caring for our staff. We have comprehensive support services in place and are doing everything we can to help them through this challenging time.'
According to The Straits Times, the police are now working to identify potential victims and are contacting staff from the hospitals where Cho was employed.
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