infamous conduct nets fine, suspension for doctor THE 47-YEAR-OLD victim of sexual misconduct in a case in- volving. a-.doctor who practised in North Van- ccouver says doctors’ malpractice insurance shouldn’t be used to nay for sexual misconduct appeals. ‘By Anna Marie D’Angelo News Reporter ‘“The doctor doesn’t have to take. any responsibility. ‘And the victim suffers,”’. the woman said on Tuesday. . On Friday, July 9, the B.C. _ College of Physicians and Surgeons (BCCPS) suspended -her former rehabilitation doc- tor,. Rida S. Baruni, for 18 months after he was recently found guilty of ‘infamous conduct: by having a sexual relationship with a female pa- tient. She described her time as chief witness for the college as a gruelling experience. ~“My family has’ been through enough, and I have been through enough,” said the victim, who asked that her identity not be revealed. .. Baruni had worked as a physician at St. Faul’s Hospi- tal. and North ‘Vancouver’s _Thorson Pain Rehabilitation ~ Clinic. ‘ ‘Clinic owner.:Lynda Thor- “son said ‘she could not com- ‘ment on“Baruni, but said the “situation ‘that: prompted the Suspension ‘did not occur at the clinic: ;. | But. Baruni’s former pa- ‘tient, who lives.in the Van- couver area, said.she met. the doctor. at’.the.: North Van- couver ‘clinic, where she had ;gone for whiplash treatments . following a car accident. The woman said the sexual ‘relationship ; occurred in 1991 and 1992.°. . She criticized | clinic doctors and ‘a..St.. Paul’s ‘Hospital - doctor : for: writing reference ‘letters. for Baruni to the BC- ° CPS. r . She.- also criticized the » health-care facilities for say- “ing Baruni'was on’a personal “leave of absence. -° "Nobody: said. that he was - charged with sexual miscon- duct,’’ she said. : » She said Baruni was from -Tripoli, Libya, and had a - temporary licence to practise medicine- when the alleged misconduct occurred. The victim said the BC- CPS’s investigation, charges, and full inquiry took a year to resolve. The inquiry was “completed approximately three weeks ago. Baruni has not worked at St. Paul’s. Hospital since Feb- ruary, said the victim. The victim says she has had to pay for counselling for at least 12 months in connection’ with the experience. : | Besides the / suspension, . Baruni was fined $10,000 and is responsible for. costs of $31,000, according to a press release from the BCCPS. The BCCPS press release states that Baruni, from Sur- rey, has given notice’ of his intention to appeal the deci- sion. ‘SYC Snow Newly created 175-acre islant NEWS graphic Joan Pederson A FORENSIC psychiatrist who was assigned to carry out a psychiatric assessment of a man convicted of a string of sexual assault charges was criticized by the man’s lawyer on Monday, July 12, in North Vancouver provincial court for failing to compile as much information on his client. as she could before writing her report. Dr. Elisabeth Zoffmann was testifying. during a dangerous of- fender hearing for David Alex- ander Snow, 38. Snow was found guilty last September of sexual assault caus- .ing bodily harm, armed robbery, - attempting to choke another. per- son and confinement against will. He has yet to be sentenced on the. charges because’ Crown counsel Greg Weber is attempting to have Snow declared a danger- ous offender. The dangerous offender hearing resumed on Monday, exactly one year to the day after Snow was arrested by North Vancouver RCMP at the Bridge House res- taurant on Capilano Road. Police had found Snow standing over a bound and gagged female employee of the restaurant. His arrest ended a reign of ter- ror that had begun in Vancouver Budget Beaters Business By Surj Rattan News Reporter in June 1992. Snow was the target of the largest manhunt ever staged by the North Vancouver RCMP. On Monday, Zoffmann, who works at the Forensic Psychiatric Institue, said Snow refused to talk ‘to her when he was brought to the Coquitlam institution for a psychiatric assessment. Zoffmann said Snow suffers from an anti-social and nar- cissistic personality disorder. She said that if persons suf- fering from such disorders are not treated they are likely to offend again, “It is very hard for them. to come to the conculsion that they have something to do with what happens around them,” said Zof- §&% Crossword & Cuisine Scene Lifestyles #2 News of the Weird Canadian Publications Mail Sales Routing, Brockton Point island concern NVD mayor A PROPOSAL to build a six-lane tunnei beneath Burrard Inlet to ease traffic flow across the aging. Lions Gate Bridge and prctect Stanley Park has met with mixed reac- tion from some North Vasicouver poiiticians. North Vancouver District Mayor Murray Dykeman said that while engineer Hans Bentzen’s $1.2-billion idea has some merit, he has some major concerns with it. “My first reaction is that it’s a great idea in terms of an engineer- ing study. But we are undertaking a transportation study on the North Shore and this (tunnel) is not part of it. “The routing of it is a major concern because it could approach through Mosquito Creek Park. My other concern is, is there any feasibility of building an island. off: Brockton” Point?’’ said Dykeman. ‘It is not one of the options we are looking at in terms of the Lions Gate Bridge. To suddenly add six lanes to downtown Van- couver is not necessarily the an- swer,'’ he said. North Vancouver District Coun. Ernie Crist rejects Bentzen’s tun- nel proposal, ‘saying priority should be placed on developing a rapid transit link to and from the North Shore. He also questions who would pay for the integration of street ' systems connected with the new tunnel. “Are we (district) going to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to accommodate the incoming traffic? No.; “It’s not’ going to solve the problem. We welcome people coming over here to. enjoy our mountains, but we don’t welcome eS under , langerous offender finann. ‘“The likelihood. of these indi- viduals coming to the conculsion that there is something wrong with’ them and (that) they must change is very slim.’’ ' Zoffmann told the hearing that she based part of her assessment of Snow on telephone conversa- tions she had with Snow’s _ brother, Victor, and Alison Shaw. Shaw and her husband had struck up a friendship and business relationship with Snow in ° Orangeville, Ont. Under questioning by Snow’s lawyer Sheldon Goldberg, Zoff-. mann admitted Snow had slipped her a note saying he refused to talk with her because anything he said might be reported to the media and jeopardize a pending murder trial he faces in Ontario. Zoffmann added that she tried to contact Snow’s mother in On-. tario for more information on David Snow. But she said that Victor Snow refused to give her his mother’s telephone number , because, said Zoffmann, he did not want his mother involved. Goldberg asked Zoffmann why ‘A TV Listings What's Going On Product Agreement Number 0087238 By Surj Rattan News Reporter their cars,’’ said Crist: But North Vancouver-Lonsdale NDP MLA David’ Schreck -- said Bentzen’s idea is one of many. that should be considered. “T think opiions like this have to be put into the mix," said Schreck. Vancouver Port Corp. spokesman Jim O’Hara said he has not heard of Bentzen’s pro- posal but adds that the port cor- poration would not object to the idea as long as the tunnel did not impede the flow of traffic in Bur- rard Inlet, But O'Hara added that the con- struction of an island in Coal Harbor could pose several prob- lems. “Those (gasoline) barges have an important function, and you do have take off and landing for a very busy float plane business. “He (Bentzen) sounds like she has about 100 . environmenial challenges’ before he even gets ‘to the water,”’ said O'Hara. Kurt Helin, executive vice- president of Hans Bentzen and A“sociates, said he and Bentzen decided to release the tunnel pro- posal this weck to see what kind of reaction it would generate. | He added : that the; company. is willing to. work with’ North Van- couver District. and other municipalites and -government agencies on the concept. rein earing she did not bother to’ obtain as much information on Snow as she possibly. could) from other sources? “If you don’t have enough’ in-' formation, you’d ask for more, wouldn’t you?’’ asked Goldberg, “That’s right. I asked to have “ali the information’ available... My assumption was that everything. . that was available was. offered,” replied Zoffmann.. | “But you didn’t ask for more,” 7 continued Goldberg. = “How could ite answered. Zof . fmann. . 4 we ‘Zoffmann. also dismissed : a: sug. gestion by Goldberg! that Victor Snow was not close to his brother and that <‘‘he tried! to cleanse himself from as. much responsibil-” ity” and ‘‘put-as iauch dirt” ‘on David Snow as possible... - “Mr. Victor Snow tried to minimize and deny problems ... he was putting a much better light on things. My sense was that he was- still being ‘somewhat protective of his brother,’’ Zoffmann said. ’ “7 wasn’t assessing Mr. Victor Snow’s closeness to his brother.’’ The dangerous offender hearing continues. Weather Thursday, Friday and Saturday, cloudy with sunny periods and showers. Highs 20°C, lows 13°C