Calgary police have laid 18 new charges against a long-time Calgary neurologist.
Dr. Keith Hoyte, 70, is now charged with a total of 21 counts of sexual assault against 19 former patients.
Global News first uncovered allegations in June, when Hoyte was charged with assaulting three former patients.
Calgary police said since that information was released to the public, an additional 16 women came forward. Follow-up investigations have led to the additional charges being laid.
The allegations date back to 1983 and span 30 years.
Calgary police first started investigating in January when one woman reported she had been touched sexually during a neurological exam in 2007.
Watch below from June 2018: A retired Calgary doctor has been charged with sexually assaulting three former patients. The accused was a long-time neurologist in the city. Nancy Hixt reports.
One complainant told Global News she suffered from migraines and that’s why she was referred to Hoyte.
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She said staff told her she needed to take off her shirt and bra and put on a gown. She said that seemed strange given all of her symptoms were headache-related.
The woman said Hoyte then came in the exam room, removed her gown and fondled her breasts. She described leaving the appointment feeling violated.
There are over a dozen reviews of Dr. Keith Hoyte online; several specifically allege inappropriate behaviour during examinations.
One reviewer wrote she saw Hoyte in 1987 and said she “had been suffering from a headache for more than a year. He made me take my clothes and bra off unnecessarily.”
Another from November 2011 alleges Hoyte “made me take my top off, including my bra for a neurological exam. I have seen many neurologists and I now know that this is not necessary.”
The reviews are anonymous so there’s no way for Global News to contact the authors. Global News has been unable to reach Hoyte for a response to the allegations.
Hoyte is not in custody and is scheduled to make his next court appearance Nov. 21.
Investigators said no further comment would be made Wednesday as the allegations are now before the courts.
Police are encouraging anyone who has been sexually assaulted to report it, even if is a historical assault.
“There is no time limit on how long a victim has to report a sexual assault in Canada and police can still investigate an incident decades after it occurred,” police said Wednesday.
To report a sexual assault, call the Calgary Police Service non-emergency line at 403-266-1234 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
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