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Quack doctor sentenced to prison

Published: 7 Jun 10 17:00 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/27090/20100607/

A man pretending to be a naturopath has been sentenced to prison for three and a half years by Borås District Court.

The man prescribed mussel oil and herbs for illnesses such as cancer, Parkinson's and heart disease. He is also accused of having sexually molested female patients, including groping their breasts.

The man was convicted of 10 cases of fraud. Two of these cases are considered by the district court Boras as serious fraud. In addition, he was sentenced for four cases of attempted fraud. The man was also sentenced to pay 1 million kronor ($124,000) in compensation to patients who were victims of his fraud, sex crimes or attempted crimes in question.

The man argued that he did not pass himself off as a medically trained doctor and that the abbreviation "Dr." in his email address referred to his first name, nor did he claim that he could diseases.

However, he claimed he had trained in the traditional Indian medical practice of Ayurveda. According to the man, he has given sick people help, relief and advice on better health.

The district court has decided that the man should be detained until the appeal becomes final, Borås Tidning wrote online.

The man denies he committed the crimes he is accused of. His lawyer believes that the man has been misunderstood.

TT/The Local (news@thelocal.se/08 656 6518)

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20:15 June 7, 2010 by matco
"pretending to be a naturopath"

How exactly does one "pretend" to be a quack? It's like saying he pretended to be a con-man.
20:40 June 7, 2010 by GLO
Well, This guy was Nuts.....
21:02 June 7, 2010 by maxbrando
I believe "pretending to be a quack" means that he was not even a passable quack. Look what have you Swedes done by letting all these fakirs in your country? You are dumber than they are.
21:13 June 7, 2010 by RobinHood
He should have murdered one of his more elderly victims. He'd have got a much shorter sentence.
23:16 June 7, 2010 by Guy with a big whang
But heaven forbid if they found a bunch of pirated MP3s on him, then the sentence would have been REALLY harsh and enforced ASAP.
01:06 June 8, 2010 by alingsaskev
Hmmm, the man was a "Naturopath" offering "advice" to the gullible and the stupid.

If someone had consulted an astrologer who had told them they were going to have a "lucky month" and that person then went and blew all of their savings on a horse race, would we jail the astrologer?
02:21 June 8, 2010 by xenyasai
@alingsaskev: Maybe RTFA? He claimed to cure cancer. It is huge difference between claiming you can cure cancer and telling someone that next month will be their lucky month.

Still, if that astrologer did that to several people, he most likely would be charged. If not by the government, but by those he conned.

Also keep in mind he did not do this for free. Or do you find it okay to waste money on a fraud?
08:24 June 8, 2010 by alingsaskev
@ xenyasai

Okay, I take your point, but where do you stand on Chinese herbal medicine? It's the same concept. People pay for Rhino Horn and Mushrooms as a cure for cancer. Should we lock up every Chinese herbalist?
10:59 June 8, 2010 by Kevin Harris
You can't legislate for people dumb enough to buy into this junk. But you can (and should) legislate to protect the fools from people who exploit them.
13:23 June 8, 2010 by logi
what is happening today in the medical world?where anybody with little experience can just claim to be an expert in a field, these are peoples lives put on the line here, and i want to believe that most of his patient have been wrongly administered to. On the sexual abuse he should be sued. The man needs to be checked too you know
15:35 June 8, 2010 by Mackan2017
A man murders an old lady in an argument over a car-parking space and receives a 22 month sentence.

A man pretends to be a Naturopath and receives 3 and a half years.

Exactly how screwed-up is the country of Sweden???
16:21 June 8, 2010 by Åskar
@Mackan2017

1) There's one helluva difference between accidentally killing someone in a quarrel and murdering someone.

2) What has that tragedy got to do with this quacksalver?
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