Brisbane physiotherapist Scott Alexander Stuart Mackay jailed for sexually assaulting two patients on same day

A Brisbane physiotherapist who caused “irreparable harm” to two patients he sexually assaulted in what a judge described as a “considerable assault of confidence” has been jailed for three months.

Key points:

  • The two women, who showed up at different times, told police they touched their genitals “for up to a minute” during the sessions.
  • Judge Julie Dick described Mackay’s offense as “a considerable breach of trust.”
  • In determining his sentence, Judge Dick considered his health as well as the extracurricular punishment he received.

Scott Alexander Stuart Mackay was sentenced in District Court to 12 months in prison, which is suspended after serving three months, on two counts of sexual assault.

During a trial in Brisbane this week, the court heard that two women, who had been treated separately by Mackay at his Windsor clinic on the same day in January 2019, were assaulted at a massage table.

Both women, who showed up at different times, told police they touched their genitals “for up to a minute” during sessions that were to address the pain in completely unrelated areas of their body.

Mackay, 48, was initially charged with one count of rape and one count of sexual assault and had pleaded not guilty to both offenses.

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Yesterday, a jury found him guilty of the first sexual assault, but he could not return the same verdict on the rape, but found him guilty of a second charge of sexual assault.

Judge Julie Dick described Mackay’s offense as “a considerable breach of trust” and told the court it caused “irreparable harm” to both the victims and their own reputation.

“Not only have they been traumatized by the experience … they have also been traumatized by the judicial experience,” he said.

Judge Dick told the court that his “considerable misjudgments” that day had a “calamitous” effect on his personal and professional life.

“You’ve suffered a lot,” he said.

The court learned that after his arrest he developed a disease that caused him severe speech impairment and reduced motor skills.

In determining his sentence, Judge Dick considered his health as well as the extracurricular punishment he received, including the loss of his business and the public embarrassment he has suffered.

“I have already given you benefits for most litigation matters,” he said.

Mackay has already spent just one day in detention, which was declared full-time.

Posted 40 minutes ago 40 minutes ago Thu, June 2, 2022 at 2:08 am, updated 8 minutes ago, 8 minutes ago, Thu, June 2, 2022 at 2:40 AM

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