Police in Vancouver say a doctor has been charged for allegedly sexually assaulting two teenage girls who were his patients, and there may be more victims involved.
Vancouver police say the charges come after a multi-year investigation beginning in March 2023, when they learned of a 17-year-old girl who had allegedly been assaulted by the doctor over a number of years while attending a clinic in the Chinatown neighbourhood.
Police say the investigation then uncovered another case in 2015 where the same doctor allegedly assaulted a 14-year-old girl at a clinic in Burnaby.
The doctor, 54-year-old Herman Hau Man Lee from Vancouver, was arrested last November and has now been charged with sexual assault and sexual interference in both cases.
Police say Lee is now out on bail and remains a practising physician in British Columbia, although he is not allowed to treat anyone under 16 without another adult being present.
Investigators believe there may be more victims and have urged them to come forward.
“We want to assure everyone that if you do come forward, you will be met with care and compassion, and you will receive trauma-informed support throughout the investigative process,” says Vancouver Police Investigation Division Superintendent Dale Weidman in a statement.
He adds that the police understand the choice to come forward is personal and may take time, however.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns
