A Melbourne doctor, Dr Ryan Yi Cho, 28, has pleaded guilty to secretly photographing and filming hundreds of people as they used hospital toilets, showers and bathrooms. Appearing at Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Thursday, he admitted 13 consolidated charges involving close to 900 victims, in a serious breach of trust within the healthcare settings where he worked. The case matters because of its scale, the vulnerability of the victims, and the abuse of a position of professional trust across major public hospitals.

Cho pleaded guilty to charges including producing intimate images, installing optical surveillance devices, stalking and failing to comply with a police direction to assist. The court heard he is suspected of holding more than 4,500 images and around 160 videos of victims in various states of undress, with the offending said to have taken place at at least five Melbourne hospitals — including the Austin, Royal Melbourne and the Peter MacCallum Centre — since 2020. He covered his face and left court without comment, and was bailed until 23 November for a pre-sentence hearing at the County Court of Victoria, likely the first time he will explain his conduct.