Calgary police have charged a 34-year-old man in connection with an alleged sexual assault dating back to January 2023.
Police said the alleged suspect met a woman at Cowboys Dance Hall on Jan. 14, 2023.
According to the Calgary Police Service, the man and the woman took a taxi to a nearby hotel where they allege the man rented a room where the woman was sexually assaulted.
Police said the woman left the hotel and reported the incident to police.
Ali Ayyaz Chatha is facing one count of sexual assault and is scheduled to appear in court on May 28. Police said Chatha worked as a doctor in Calgary.
Global News has learned Chatha is a family physician at the Oasis Professional Centre, a family practie and walk-in clinic, in Bridgeland.
A spokesperson for the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) told Global News the CPSA opens an investigation as soon as they become aware of criminal charges against a physician.
“We will open a complaint and subsequent investigation to gather information and determine next steps,” said Andrea Garland, the director of communications for the CPSA. “This could include practice conditions on a physician’s permit, or the physician’s withdrawal or suspension from practice, depending on the seriousness of the allegations and the risk to patient safety.”
Chatha is listed on the CPSA website as an active member with no conditions on his practice permit.
“These types of crimes can be extremely personal and sensitive, and I want to thank the victim for coming forward to police and reporting this incident to us,” said Staff Sgt. Tom Hanson of the Calgary Police Service Sexual Assault Investigative Unit.
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