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Brazilian doctor who orally raped sedated women in labour gets 30 years' jail
The sentence comes nearly three years after Bezerra's arrest on July 10, 2022. PHOTO: UNSPLASH
SAO JOAO DE MERITI , Brazil - An anaesthesiologist in Brazil who raped two women while they were in labour was sentenced to 30 years' jail on June 9 , according to Brazilian media.
Giovanni Quintella Bezerra , 35, was also ordered by a court in Baixada Fluminense to pay compensation of 50,000 Brazilian reais (S$11,560) to each victim, reported Brazilian outlet Ag e ncia Br asil.
An appeal by Bezerra's defence against his sentence was denied by the court.
This comes nearly three years after Bezerra's arrest on July 10, 2022 for orally raping a sedated woman undergoing a caesarean section at the Heloneida Studart Women's Hospita l in Sao Joao de Meriti .
Investigations found that the victim, who could not recall what happened during the procedure, had been given an excessive amount of anaesthetic, according to Brazilian daily O Globo .
Bezerra was caught red-handed by his colleagues, who had grown suspicious of the amount of sedatives he had administered to other pregnant women earlier in the day.
They hid a cellphone in a cabinet in the operating room and recorded Bezerra's crime on camera.
Images of the rape were circulated months after the incident, sparking condemnation and expressions of disgust towards Bezerra's crime from netizens in Brazil and beyond.
At least 30 other women who had given birth while assisted by Bezerra approached the police after the incident came to light, reported TV Band Rio .
The Regional Council of Medicine of Rio de Janeiro and the Federal Council of Medicine had in December 2023 revoked his professional registration as an anaesthesiologist without the possibility of an appeal.
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