A judge has revealed a fake gynaecologist, who practised IVF in Melbourne with false Italian medical qualifications, escaped imprisonment in Rome by lying to a court that he was a doctor in Australia. During a lengthy sentencing in the County Court on Thursday, Judge Bill Stuart said the offending of Raffaele Di Paolo, who fleeced aspiring parents and falsely told women they were pregnant, was “gross”, “brutal” and “profound”. The 61-year-old used documents falsified in Italy to steal a combined $385,000 from 23 would-be-parents in a decade-long scam. The court heard he narrowly avoided four months’ jail in Italy in 2006, accused of practising medicine without a licence, by lying in court that he was an Australian doctor. “In the mirror image you purported in Australia to being a legally qualified medical practitioner,” Judge Stuart said. “Your capacity for deception in profound.” Di Paolo was found guilty of fraud, indecent assault and sexual penetration charges in April following a County Court trial, during which he denied the allegations. He was either found guilty of, or admitted to, 26 counts of obtaining property by deception, two of attempting to obtain property by deception, five of procuring sexual penetration by fraud, four of indecent assault and 14 of common assault. He also admitted to five counts of practising as a medical specialist when he wasn’t qualified to do so. The charlatan falsely told seven women they were pregnant. Other women had internal investigations performed, underwent ultrasounds, were injected with unknown substances and had blood taken. Men had their testicles examined, including one who had sperm extracted by needle. Judge Stuart told the court Di Paolo faced up to five years’ imprisonment for procuring sexual penetration by fraud, a jail term he called “wholeheartedly inadequate”. The sentencing hearing continues.
