'It's haunted my life': Former Launceston General Hospital nurse denies allegations

The Launceston man appeared before the Launceston Magistrates Court for the second day of the hearing on June 26, on two counts of indecent assault alleged to have happened in March and November of 1989.

On the first day of the hearing on June 25, the court heard from one complainant, Complainant A, who alleged that he first met the accused at an asthma camp around 1984 when the complainant was around 8 or 9 years old.

The first complainant said he and his younger brother, aged around 6, had stayed overnight in March 1989 at the accused's house when the accused climbed into bed with him.

Complainant A alleged that the nurse put his hand down the boy's pants and underwear, and touched and felt his genitals.

Complainant A said he asked the nurse what he was doing, to which the nurse replied he was "making sure everything was ok down there".

On June 26, another complainant (Complainant C) was called to the stand and alleged that the former nurse sexually abused him in November 1989, when the boy was admitted to the LGH for pneumonia and stayed a few days.

Complainant C said he was around 13 years of age at the time.

Complainant C alleged November 21 or 22, around 11.30pm, he was in the children's ward and asked the male nurse for a glass of water.

The nurse told the boy to follow him and Complainant C said he remembered walking down a long corridor to a large, industrial kitchen that "stunk of bleach and methylated spirits".

The complainant said the nurse handed him a glass of water and told the boy he needed to check his stomach, as the boy had experienced some abdominal pain.

"He lifted up my gown and he started feeling around my stomach," Complainant C said.

"He pulled my pants down to my knees, where he started fondling my [genitals]."

The complainant alleged that the nurse had been down on one knee and began asking questions such as whether the boy had sexual thoughts, erections, or good personal hygiene around his genitalia.

"The man was hyped up, he was excited, sweating," Complainant C said.

Complainant C said the nurse was still touching the boy's genitals - including his foreskin - and began to lean forward with his mouth open, when the boy hit his hand away and ran back to his bed in the children's ward.

Complainant C said once he was back in bed, he was terrified and crying.

In a police interview on December 23, 2021, the male nurse said the boy had told him he was experiencing abdominal discomfort, and the nurse wanted to check he wasn't experiencing mesenteric adenitis (swollen lymph glands in the stomach).

"I didn't handle any genitals," the accused said.

"[Complainant C] may have asked some question about [good hygiene].

"My general nature would be to ask permission to do anything ... I certainly respect people."

The nurse went on to say that he "suddenly" thought the child might have mesenteric adenitis and performed the examination in the kitchen, as opposed to the ward where other children were sleeping.

"To do anything else would've meant taking the kid back to the ward, putting the lights on and disturbing everyone else in the ward," the nurse said.

During a cross-examination by defence lawyer Fabiano Cangelosi, Complainant C was asked whether the incident had been a "vivid dream" due to high temperatures, or whether it was possible he'd confused the nurse with another person.

"No way, it's haunted my life ... there is no doubt in my mind," Complainant C said.

The boy's parents came to pick him up in the morning and he told them what allegedly happened the night before.

Complainant C said his mother was "shattered" and his father was angry and demanded a full investigation into the incident.

Complainant C and his parents were escorted into a meeting with Dr Peter Renshaw - former director of medical services at the LGH from 1989 until he retired in 2022 - along with two others nurses and a man in a black suit.

The complainant said Dr Renshaw's response was there would be an investigation, and "this man will never touch another child again".

National sexual assault support: 1800 RESPECT, Laurel House (03) 6334 2740 (Launceston), (03) 6431 9711 (Burnie and Devonport), Sexual Assault Support Service (SASS) on 1800 697 877.