Case of Aubrey Levin, MD
(AKA: Dr. Shock)
(AKA: Dr. Shock)
Forensic Psychiatrist - Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Regional director for the Regional Psychiatric
Centre - Saskatoon, Canada
University of Calgary's Medical School - Calgary, Alberta, Canada
University of Saskatchewan - Saskatchewan, Canada
Ward 22, Voortrekkerhoogte Military Hospital - near Pretoria, South Africa
University of Calgary's Medical School - Calgary, Alberta, Canada
University of Saskatchewan - Saskatchewan, Canada
Ward 22, Voortrekkerhoogte Military Hospital - near Pretoria, South Africa
Aubrey Levin was convicted of sexually assaulting court-appointed patients under his care. Sentenced to only five years in prison. The patients had been assigned to Levin through the courts between 1999 and 2010. Aubrey Levin was found not guilty on 2 sexual assault counts, while mistrial declared on 4 counts
The allegations against him came to light in 2010 after one of his patients came forward with secret videos he had recorded during court-ordered sessions with the psychiatrist.
The videos, played in court last fall, show Levin undoing the man’s belt and jeans and appearing to fondle him.
Levin was allowed into Canada even after being named by South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission for 'gross human rights abuses' during the apartheid era.
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Table of Contents:
Disclaimer:
Inclusion in this website does not constitute a recommendation or
endorsement. Individuals must decide for themselves if the resources
meet their own personal needs.
- 'Dr.' Aubrey Levin's Victims: A support group for the victims of the criminal South African/ Canadian forensic psychiatrist 'Dr'. Aubrey Levin
1999
- The Aversion Project: Human rights abuses of gays and lesbians in South Africa Defence Forces by health workers during the apartheid era (pdf) (10/1999)
2010
- Levin charged with sexual assault (03/24/2010)
- Patient of Dr. Levin speaks to CTV (03/24/2010)
- Courtroom psychiatrist charged in sex assault (03/24/2010)
- Doctor Shock' charged with sexually abusing male patient (03/28/2010)
- Dr. Aubrey Levin (AKA: Dr. Shock) and his "gross human's rights abuses" (04/09/2010)
2012
- Canadian psychiatrist 'Dr Shock' stands trial on sexual abuse charges (10/10/2012)
- Alleged sex assault videos shown at Aubrey Levin trial (10/12/2012)
2013
- Aubrey Levin opts not to testify in his own defence (01/13/2013)
- Aubrey Levin's Wife, Erica Levin, Arrested After Allegedly Trying To Bribe Juror (01/25/2013)
- Aubrey Levin's wife arrested for allegedly trying to bribe juror (01/25/2013)
- Calgary ex-psychiatrist found guilty of sexual assault (01/28/2013)
- Jury finds Aubrey Levin guilty on 3 counts of sexual assault (01/29/2013)
- Calgary psychiatrist convicted on three counts of sexually assaulting patients (01/29/2013)
- Sex-assault victims confront convicted psychiatrist in court (01/30/2013)
- 74-year-old Calgary psychiatrist convicted of molesting patients to face sentencing hearing (01/30/2013)
- Calgary psychiatrist convicted of sexually assaulting three of his patients too frail for prison: lawyer (01/30/2013)
- Aubrey Levin sentenced to 5 years in jail (01/31/2013)
- Forensic Psychiatrist gets five years in prison (01/31/2013)
- Calgary psychiatrist gets 5 years for patient assaults (01/31/2013)
- View not shared (02/05/2013)
- Aubrey Levin, South African ‘Ex-Gay’ Therapist, Jailed for Molesting Male Patients (02/05/2013)
- Orthodox Rabbi Defends Jewish Psychiatrist Who Sexually Assaulted Patients (02/08/2013)
- Aubry Levin's wife charged with obstruction of justice (02/08/2013)
- Erica Levin charged with trying to bribe juror in her husband's sex abuse trial (02/08/2013)
- Calgary Jews disavow sex offender, rabbi’s letter (02/15/2013)
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Levin charged with sexual assault
A Calgary psychiatrist has been officially charged with repeatedly sexually assaulting one of his patients.
CTV - March 24, 2010
Calgary police investigators are appealing to any other possible victims to come forward.
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Patient of Dr. Levin speaks to CTV
CTV - March 24, 2010
CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO
CTV News has spoken with a current patient of a Calgary psychiatrist charged with sexual assault.
The man says he was shocked to hear about the charges against Dr. Aubrey Levin.
"I'm glad someone was brave enough to step forward," says the patient who was under court order to be assessed by Dr. Levin.
The patient CTV spoke too was dealing with a gambling addiction and felt something wasn't right when Dr. Levin asked him , what he felt were, inappropriate questions about his sexuality.
"I didn't want him to write anything negative about me. So I pretty much kept quiet through the whole ordeal and the next time I came forward I was going to bring a tape recorder and record everything he was going to say, just to protect myself,' says the patient.
Levin is charged with sexually assaulting a 36-year-old male patient of his. It's alleged the sexual assault happened repeatedly.
The alleged victim had asked for help but when nobody believed him he took a hidden camera tape to a therapy session.
CTV News has learned it was that video tape recording the led to Levin's arrest
Levin is a psychiatrist who often conducted psychiatric assessments on people facing criminal charges.
He has been stripped of his credentials pending an investigation by the College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Alberta Justice says it will review all cases in which Levin was an expert witness to figure out if any testimony has been tainted.
"We'll be looking over every single file this doctor had any conduct with and, unfortunately, when something like this happens everyone looks back over the last 20 years with clients to see how bad it was," says Adriano Iovenilli, a defence lawyer.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons says Dr. Levin had a clean record since arriving, several years ago, in Canada from South Africa.
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Courtroom psychiatrist charged in sex assault
CBC News - March 24, 2010
Dr. Aubrey Levin, a Calgary psychiatrist who has worked extensively with justice officials on criminal cases, has been charged with sexual assault.
Police say a 36-year-old man, one of Levin's long-term patients, alleges he was sexually assaulted repeatedly by Levin over a period of time.
Levin charged with sexual assault
A Calgary psychiatrist has been officially charged with repeatedly sexually assaulting one of his patients.
CTV - March 24, 2010
 |
| Aubrey Levin, MD was also accused of torturing patients in South Africa |
71-year-old Dr. Aubrey Levin was arrested Tuesday and later charged with one count of sexual assault.
His
victim is a 36-year old man and a long-term patient of Levin. It is
alleged the sexual assaults occurred repeatedly over this period of
time.
The Calgary Police Sex Crimes Unit began investigating the allegations on Friday, March 19th which is when they were first made aware of the case.
Levin
is a forensic psychiatrist and had often been called upon by the courts
to assess and testify about people facing criminal charges.
Levin works out of the Peter Lougheed Centre and also served as adjunct professor at the University of Calgary.
Levin has also been stripped of his credentials pending an independent investigation by the College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Alberta Justice told
CTV News late Tuesday night that it is taking these allegations against
Levin very seriously, and will reassign any current cases appointed to
Levin to another psychiatrist.
It will also conduct an
internal review of all prosecutions that Levin was previously involved
in to determine whether Levin could have improperly influenced any of
the outcomes of those cases.
Patient of Dr. Levin speaks to CTV
CTV - March 24, 2010
CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO
CTV News has spoken with a current patient of a Calgary psychiatrist charged with sexual assault.
The man says he was shocked to hear about the charges against Dr. Aubrey Levin.
"I'm glad someone was brave enough to step forward," says the patient who was under court order to be assessed by Dr. Levin.
The patient CTV spoke too was dealing with a gambling addiction and felt something wasn't right when Dr. Levin asked him , what he felt were, inappropriate questions about his sexuality.
"I didn't want him to write anything negative about me. So I pretty much kept quiet through the whole ordeal and the next time I came forward I was going to bring a tape recorder and record everything he was going to say, just to protect myself,' says the patient.
Levin is charged with sexually assaulting a 36-year-old male patient of his. It's alleged the sexual assault happened repeatedly.
The alleged victim had asked for help but when nobody believed him he took a hidden camera tape to a therapy session.
CTV News has learned it was that video tape recording the led to Levin's arrest
Levin is a psychiatrist who often conducted psychiatric assessments on people facing criminal charges.
He has been stripped of his credentials pending an investigation by the College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Alberta Justice says it will review all cases in which Levin was an expert witness to figure out if any testimony has been tainted.
"We'll be looking over every single file this doctor had any conduct with and, unfortunately, when something like this happens everyone looks back over the last 20 years with clients to see how bad it was," says Adriano Iovenilli, a defence lawyer.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons says Dr. Levin had a clean record since arriving, several years ago, in Canada from South Africa.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Courtroom psychiatrist charged in sex assault
CBC News - March 24, 2010
Dr. Aubrey Levin, a Calgary psychiatrist who has worked extensively with justice officials on criminal cases, has been charged with sexual assault.
Police say a 36-year-old man, one of Levin's long-term patients, alleges he was sexually assaulted repeatedly by Levin over a period of time.
Levin, 71, has regularly testified
in court cases as an expert in forensic psychiatry, a factor that could
widen the investigation, police said.
Levin's arrest Tuesday came a day after he was suspended by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta.
"Our process is completely separate from a criminal case being pursued," said college spokeswoman Kelly Eby.
"We will continue with our investigation, and that could include a review of his files. It will include interviews with witnesses, interviews with the victim."
The process could take several months and might result in a disciplinary hearing.
Police are asking members of the public who may have additional information to come forward. Levin worked at the Peter Lougheed Centre and lectured at the University of Calgary.
Levin came to Canada in the 1990s from South Africa. He worked as a psychiatrist for the military during the apartheid era.
Levin was released on bail and is scheduled to appear in court on April 8.
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'Doctor Shock' charged with sexually abusing male patient
By Chris McGreal
The Guardian - March 28, 2010
Canadian police investigate dozens of allegations against psychiatrist nicknamed for use of electricity to 'cure' gay soldiers
A leading Canadian psychiatrist who kept accusations of gross
human rights abuses in apartheid-era South Africa hidden has been
charged in Calgary with sexually abusing a male patient and is being
investigated over dozens of other allegations.
Dr Aubrey Levin, who in South Africa was known as Dr Shock for his use of electricity to "cure" gay military conscripts, was arrested after a patient secretly filmed the psychiatrist allegedly making sexual advances. Levin, who worked at the University of Calgary's medical school, has been suspended from practising and is free on bail of C$50,000 (£32,000) on charges of repeatedly indecently assaulting a 36-year-old man.
The police say they are investigating similar claims by nearly 30 other patients. The Alberta justice department is reviewing scores of criminal convictions in which Levin was a prosecution witness.
Levin has worked in Canada for 15 years since leaving South Africa, where he was chief psychiatrist in the apartheid-era military and became notorious for using electric shocks to "cure" gay white conscripts. He also held conscientious objectors against their will at a military hospital because they were "disturbed" and subjected them to powerful drug regimens.
South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission heard that Levin was guilty of "gross human rights abuses" including chemical castration of gay men. But after arriving in Canada in 1995 he managed to suppress public discussion of his past by threatening lawsuits against news organisations that attempted to explore it.
Following the arrest, other male patients have contacted the authorities. One, who was not identified, told CTV in Canada that he had gone to Levin for help with a gambling addiction and alleged he had been questioned about his sex life and subject to sexual advances.
The arrest has raised questions about how Levin was allowed to settle in Canada. Canada admitted other South African medical practitioners accused of human rights abuses, including two who worked with Wouter Basson, known as Dr Death for his oversight of chemical and biological warfare experiments that included the murder of captured Namibian guerrillas.
Levin, who made no secret of his hard rightwing views and was a member of the ruling National party during apartheid, has a long history of homophobia.
In the 1960s, he wrote to a parliamentary committee considering the abolition of laws criminalising homosexuality saying that they should be left in place because he could "cure" gay people.
His efforts to do just that in the army began in 1969 at the infamous ward 22 at the Voortrekkerhoogte military hospital near Pretoria, which ostensibly catered for service personnel with psychological problems. Commanding officers and chaplains were encouraged to refer "deviants" for electroconvulsive aversion therapy.
The treatment consisted of strapping electrodes to the upper arm. Homosexual soldiers were shown pictures of a naked man and encouraged to fantasise, and then the power was ratcheted up.
Trudie Grobler, an intern psychologist on ward 22, saw a lesbian subjected to severe shocks.
"It was traumatic. I could not believe her body could handle it," she said later.
One gay soldier claimed to have been chemically castrated by Levin. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was told by investigators that he was not alone. It also heard that at least one patient had been driven to suicide. Levin refused to testify before the commission.
Levin also treated drug users, principally soldiers who smoked marijuana, and men who objected to serving in the apartheid-era military on moral grounds, who were classified as "disturbed".
Levin subjected some patients to narco-analysis or a "truth drug", involving the slow injection of a barbiturate before the questioning began. In an interview with the Guardian 10 years ago, he did not deny its use but said it was solely to help soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress.
Levin said he left South Africa only because of the high crime rate, and denied abusing human rights. He said electric shock therapy was a standard "treatment" for gay people at the time and those subjected to it did so voluntarily.
"Nobody was held against his or her will. We did not keep human guinea pigs, like Russian communists; we only had patients who wanted to be cured and were there voluntarily," he told the Guardian in 2000.
Dr Aubrey Levin, who in South Africa was known as Dr Shock for his use of electricity to "cure" gay military conscripts, was arrested after a patient secretly filmed the psychiatrist allegedly making sexual advances. Levin, who worked at the University of Calgary's medical school, has been suspended from practising and is free on bail of C$50,000 (£32,000) on charges of repeatedly indecently assaulting a 36-year-old man.
The police say they are investigating similar claims by nearly 30 other patients. The Alberta justice department is reviewing scores of criminal convictions in which Levin was a prosecution witness.
Levin has worked in Canada for 15 years since leaving South Africa, where he was chief psychiatrist in the apartheid-era military and became notorious for using electric shocks to "cure" gay white conscripts. He also held conscientious objectors against their will at a military hospital because they were "disturbed" and subjected them to powerful drug regimens.
South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission heard that Levin was guilty of "gross human rights abuses" including chemical castration of gay men. But after arriving in Canada in 1995 he managed to suppress public discussion of his past by threatening lawsuits against news organisations that attempted to explore it.
Following the arrest, other male patients have contacted the authorities. One, who was not identified, told CTV in Canada that he had gone to Levin for help with a gambling addiction and alleged he had been questioned about his sex life and subject to sexual advances.
The arrest has raised questions about how Levin was allowed to settle in Canada. Canada admitted other South African medical practitioners accused of human rights abuses, including two who worked with Wouter Basson, known as Dr Death for his oversight of chemical and biological warfare experiments that included the murder of captured Namibian guerrillas.
Levin, who made no secret of his hard rightwing views and was a member of the ruling National party during apartheid, has a long history of homophobia.
In the 1960s, he wrote to a parliamentary committee considering the abolition of laws criminalising homosexuality saying that they should be left in place because he could "cure" gay people.
His efforts to do just that in the army began in 1969 at the infamous ward 22 at the Voortrekkerhoogte military hospital near Pretoria, which ostensibly catered for service personnel with psychological problems. Commanding officers and chaplains were encouraged to refer "deviants" for electroconvulsive aversion therapy.
The treatment consisted of strapping electrodes to the upper arm. Homosexual soldiers were shown pictures of a naked man and encouraged to fantasise, and then the power was ratcheted up.
Trudie Grobler, an intern psychologist on ward 22, saw a lesbian subjected to severe shocks.
"It was traumatic. I could not believe her body could handle it," she said later.
One gay soldier claimed to have been chemically castrated by Levin. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was told by investigators that he was not alone. It also heard that at least one patient had been driven to suicide. Levin refused to testify before the commission.
Levin also treated drug users, principally soldiers who smoked marijuana, and men who objected to serving in the apartheid-era military on moral grounds, who were classified as "disturbed".
Levin subjected some patients to narco-analysis or a "truth drug", involving the slow injection of a barbiturate before the questioning began. In an interview with the Guardian 10 years ago, he did not deny its use but said it was solely to help soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress.
Levin said he left South Africa only because of the high crime rate, and denied abusing human rights. He said electric shock therapy was a standard "treatment" for gay people at the time and those subjected to it did so voluntarily.
"Nobody was held against his or her will. We did not keep human guinea pigs, like Russian communists; we only had patients who wanted to be cured and were there voluntarily," he told the Guardian in 2000.
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Dr. Aubrey Levin (AKA: Dr. Shock) and his "gross human's rights abuses"
Bipolar Etcetra - April 9 2010
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| Aubrey Levin, MD - Convicted Sex Offender |
Here's the article as it appeared in the UK's Gaurdian: 'Doctor Shock' charged with sexually abusing male patient
Why am I interested in this? Because it was none other than Dr Aubrey Levin (aka Dr Shock) who authorised my course of shock treatment when I was in the South African army last Millennium. Dr Levine
But it wasn't only gays that fell foul of Levine. Genuine PSTD patients like me were also subjected to his unique military style "Psychiatric Therapy". In fact it was pretty emotional to read about "the infamous ward 22 at the Voortrekkerhoogte military hospital near Pretoria" in newspapers around the world. I WAS THERE!!
So I did some digging on the Neb and came up with an excellent summary of what I went through here: THE ABUSE OF PSYCHIATRY IN THE SADF
Some of you might know that I wrote a book about my experiences in Ward
REPORT In the late 1960s a new ward was created in the SADF's main military hospital at Voortrekkerhoogte near Pretoria. Ward 22 (later Ward 24) was set up ostensibly to cater for the needs of conscripts and members of the Permanent Force with psychological problems or disorders. The SADF's venture into psychiatry came at a time when the length of service was increasing and the size of the armed forces was expanding.
BOOK
We were greeted by a Captain and I was taken down a long corridor to a door with the words “WARD 24” written above it. Inside, the doors opened up to a large open plan hallway with long rows of military beds lining both walls. Soldiers were scattered around the ward smoking, playing cards and watching TV. Most of them had dream-coats on, but I could see they were soldiers.
REPORT Few conscripts found an atmosphere which was supportive and conducive to working through their concerns. Most of the people we interviewed experienced their time in the ward as profoundly alienating and at times punitive. Phrases like 'It was the worst time of my life' and 'It is a period I want to put behind me', recurred in all their stories.
The procedure of admission to the wards, the composition of the patient population, their organisation along military lines, the attitude of the personnel working there and the types of treatment used, all included abuses of psychiatric and medical ethics.
The organisation of the ward is along military lines. 'Patients' in 1985 were being subjected to military discipline. Regardless of their state of mind, they were forced to rise at five in the morning, make their beds and clean the wards in preparation for inspection at 6.30 a.m. Most of the patients regarded this as an extension of basic training. Until at least 1980 there was second inspection at 2 p.m., followed by a two-hour period of drilling in brown overalls.
BOOK
It must have been about 6 in the morning when the first glow of daylight started seeping through from the veranda. I hadn’t slept a wink and felt incredibly tense and keyed up. Soon a few soldiers started stirring and then one or two jumped out of bed and a guy at the far end shouted for everybody to wake up. “Hurry, hurry…. He’s coming soon!”. There seemed to be a hint of panic in his voice, but it worked for everybody was scrambling out of bed. For the next few minutes there was a state of high frenzy as soldiers tidied there little bedside tables up and pulled their blankets and sheets straight. “He’s coming! He’s coming!”
Just then one of the soldiers closest to the door shouted: “Attention!” and all the soldiers rushed to the foot of their beds and stood at attention in their dreamcoats. I stood in line with them sensing the general feeling of fear. The staccato clip clop of army boots grew louder and then a huge Afrikaans sergeant barged through the doors at the far end of the ward and started inspecting each soldier and his area one by one. He had a large stick with him and stopped at the bed of the shuffler from the night before, who had somehow also managed to manoeuvre himself into position. “You Fucking moffie!”, the Sergeant bellowed in his face, poking his stick viscously into the shuffler's stomach. “ You cowards might be able to fucking fool the nurses but you can’t fucking fool me!”The shuffler’s face stared ahead twitching now and then in strange contortions...
Suddenly I was scared. I had been through hundreds of inspection parades before and I was used to the insults and bellowing. They had never phased me before. But this time it was different. This sergeant was evil - I could sense his evil presence from the moment he walked in the door. This sergeant was the enemy, the front guard of the forces of darkness. And I knew that he knew I was here. For the first time I felt a tremor in my knees and tried to control it but couldn’t.
Slowly the sergeant worked his way down the ward, one bed at a time. Now and then he would stop and poke his stick in somebody’s stomach and scream and curse about moffies, cowards, hippies and drug addicts. Since leaving Addington 24 hours earlier I had not had any medication and my shaking was getting worse. By the time the sergeant turned the corner at my end of the ward and got to my bed, I felt like my knees were knocking against each other. When he got to me the Sergeant stopped directly in front of me, looming above my head. “ Aha, a fucking newcomer!” he shrieked in my face. “ And look what a fucking shambles his bed is! Look’s like a bloody whorehouse! Who’s c*nt are you going to fuck soutie, you mother’s?” He lifted his stick and I felt its butt strike me in the stomach and drive all the breath out of me. “ I know why you’re here soutie! I know exactly why you are here. But you cannot escape from me!” He stood there staring down at me with his evil eyes for what felt like a full five minutes, before moving on...
The evil sergeant came every morning, and every morning my shaking got worse. He never failed to stop in front of my bed and poke me in the stomach with his stick. “This is not fucking heaven soutie, this is the fucking army!” he would shout. One day he bought these two huge Alsations with him on his inspection which were apparently meant to sniff out any marijuana. They looked more like wolves to me and were just as evil as the Sergeant. The one soldier was so terrified of the dogs that he went into a type of epileptic fit and lay writhing on the floor with foam coming out of his mouth. About four male medics had to hold him down to get the injections in. The Sergeant seemed pretty pleased with himself that day.
REPORT The orderlies were seconded from military units as part of their duties. Their attitudes varied - many were hostile, shouting orders at, and verbally abusing patients. Orderlies were armed with pistols at all times. One of the servicemen interviewed by RESISTER, who worked as an assistant to psychologists in 1983, said that there was continual tension between the qualified medical staff and military officers over the handling of patients in the wards, with the higher ranking military officials having considerable say.
BOOK
I could hardly finish my words as two burly male medics appeared out of nowhere and dragged me back to the Ward where they stuck a huge injection into me. Satan was here; he was fighting for his life.
As it dawned on me, I let out an almighty scream and leapt out of my seat. I don’t know how I managed it, but I ran down the corridor, out the front entrance and down the driveway of the hospital. I had only been able to shuffle for the past few weeks but now pure adrenaline took over. My techni-colour dream-coat streamed out behind me in the wind and in one hand I waved my pocket Bible in the air. At the end of the driveway a guardhouse appeared and two soldiers jumped out with R4 rifles.
“ Repent! Repent!” I screamed in their faces, but it was all in vain. The next thing I knew I was on the ground with my pants down and a male medic on top of me ramming a huge syringe of venom into my backside.
REPORT Patients with serious disorders have been heavily drugged for long periods of time. Medication and sedatives have been fairly freely dispensed among he patients. This has led to a feeling among some of the patients suffering from post-combat stress that it was more convenient for the staff to drug them than to confront their experiences.
BOOK
By now my pills had increased to ten in the morning and four at lunch and supper. The medication clouded my mind and I battled to concentrate. Really frustrated one morning I decided to go to the athletic field in the hospital ground and take a jog. I had been very fit before this whole thing began and I figured that a run would clear my head. Maybe I could start running every day? But I was in for a nasty shock for when I started to run I found that I couldn’t. My feet felt like blocks of lead that I just couldn’t lift fast enough. It was a terrible sensation, like that feeling you can sometimes get in nightmares when you are running away from an attacker but seem to be held back by an invisible gravitational force. I was devastated and began to realise what the snakes on the badges were for – they were slowly poisoning me...
The sluggishness from the drugs got worse and worse. Days went by and then weeks went by and eventually it was with horror that I realised that I, too, had become a shuffler. When I went anywhere I couldn’t swing my arms. They just hung, like solid steel pipes, at each side. And my feet inched forwards, half a foot at a time.
AND THE MEETING WITH DR AUBREY LEVIN:
REPORT
The SADF's psychiatric units were largely the creation of Dr Aubrey Levine, whose career as a psychiatrist owed much to the SADF. He joined the army after qualifying for a medical degree and went on to study psychiatry on military bursaries. He worked under the supervision of Lt. General Cockcroft, the Surgeon General from 1969-1977. Upon his refirement Cockcroft become active in ultra-right organisations.
By the early 1970s Levine had been promoted to the rank of colonel and was chief military psychiatrist co-ordinating work in the army, navy and air force. Levine was solely responsible for the types of treatment used in Word 22. He was never accountable to a wider reference group of qualified personnel, and his approach could not have been cruder.
BOOK
On the second to last day I was sent to the far corner of the hospital where a very important man had an office. He was a Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology and one of the most learned men in his field in the Southern Hemisphere, they said. I packed my journal for the long journey anxious to show the Professor my discoveries. He was my last ray of hope. He had to understand.
Finally a little lady in red indicated that it was my turn. I entered the Professor’s little office and sat down on the opposite side of a little coffee table to him. He was dressed in civilian clothes and I could detect an air of smugness in his demeanor. He observed me, waiting for me to say something. I opened my journal to where I had joined the Alpha and the Omega. “Look,” I said, “ The Alpha and the Omega”
He examined the picture for a while and then shook his head: “ Look’s like a penis to me.” He said.
***
NOW I KNOW WHY IT LOOKED LIKE A PENIS TO HIM!! THE MAN MOLESTED HIS MALE PATIENTS
Within 2 days of meeting with Dr Levin, I commenced a series 6 ECTs (Electro Convulsive Therapy) against my will.
I am angry. But strangely I also feel vindicated. In the final analysis he was more fucked up than me...
You can see a review of my book here:
You can buy the book here:
(In all fairness I must warn you that although the above excerpts are taken directly from the book, other parts of the book are highly philosophic and esoteric)
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Canadian psychiatrist 'Dr Shock' stands trial on sexual abuse charges:
Aubrey Levin, accused of human rights abuses in apartheid-era South Africa, charged with sexually assaulting male patients
By Chris Mc CrealGuardian - October 10, 2012
Levin
was allowed into Canada even after being named by South Africa’s Truth
and Reconciliation Commission for 'gross human rights abuses' during the
apartheid era.
A Canadian psychiatrist accused of human rights abuses in apartheid South Africa
for subjecting gay soldiers and conscientious objectors to electric
shock "cures", will stand trial in Calgary on Wednesday for allegedly
sexually abusing male patients.
Aubrey Levin, known in South Africa as "Dr Shock" for his use of electroshock therapy, is charged with sexual assaults on 10 patients, mostly prisoners assigned by the Canadian justice system for treatment. On Tuesday, a jury ruled he was fit to stand trial after the defence claimed Levin, 72, was suffering from the early stages of dementia.
Levin was arrested only after a male patient secretly filmed him making sexual advances. Earlier complaints by others were ignored by the authorities or not believed. His licence to practice has been suspended and the Alberta justice department has reviewed scores of criminal convictions in which the psychiatrist was a prosecution witness.
One of Levin's patients told CTV two years ago he endured abuse because he was afraid to protest.
"I didn't want him to write anything negative about me. So I pretty much kept quiet through the whole ordeal and the next time I came forward I was going to bring a tape recorder and record everything he was going to say, just to protect myself," the man said.
After his arrest, about 30 other patients came forward to accuse Levin of sexual abuse.
Levin's arrest raised questions in Canada as to how he was allowed to become a citizen and permitted to practice at the University of Calgary's Medical School even after he was named by South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) for "gross human rights abuses" during the apartheid era.
Levin was a colonel in the South African military and chief psychiatrist at 1 Military hospital in Pretoria in the 1970s and 80s, where he was in charge of a unit where electric shocks were administered to "cure" gay white conscripts. Levin also oversaw the use of electroshocks and powerful drugs against conscientious objectors refusing to fight for the apartheid army in Angola or suppress dissent in the black townships, who were held against their will and classified as "disturbed".
Levin, a member of the ruling National party during apartheid, had a long history of claiming to be able to cure gay people. In the 1960s, he wrote to a parliamentary committee considering the abolition of laws criminalising homosexuality saying they should be left in place because he could turn them into heterosexuals with electric shocks, known as aversion therapy. From 1969, he subjected an undetermined number of men to the treatment at the infamous ward 22 of the military hospital near Pretoria that catered for service personnel with psychological problems.
Levin encouraged commanding officers and chaplains to refer "deviants" for electroconvulsive aversion therapy, which consisted of homosexual soldiers being shown pictures of naked men and encouraged to fantasise as they were subject to increasingly powerful electric shocks until they begged for the pain to stop.
Some of the abuses were documented by the Aversion Project in South Africa (pdf). Its report quotes Trudie Grobler, an intern psychologist in the psychiatric unit at 1 Military hospital, who was forced to give electric shocks under Levin's supervision.
"I know that [the psychiatrist] did aversion therapy with the homosexual men. I don't know of a single case where it was successful … You know he would show the boys men, and then shock them, and then show them girls," she said.
According to the Aversion Project report, Grobler also saw a lesbian subjected to such severe electric shocks that her shoes flew off. "I can only think that it was the same method and intensity that the woman had been given. And it was terrible. … I couldn't believe that her body could survive it all," she said.
According to the Aversion Project, some soldiers were subjected to hundreds of electric shock sessions. It said Levin "coerced conscripts into admitting that they were homosexual to their parents, and further coerced them to undergo aversion therapy".
Among them was Michael Smith, then an 18-year-old conscript. Levin forced him to tell his parents he was gay. "It was the first time they realised I was homosexual and they were horrified. Dr Levin told them he had a therapy that would 'reorientate' me, so I agreed to the treatment," he told the Guardian in 2000.
Smith was subject to numerous electric shock sessions.
"When you kind of reached the maximum point and then you'd say 'No, no, no, I couldn't stand it any more', then he would say: 'Now you must think about your girlfriend', and all that sort of off-the-wall statements."
Other conscripts with learning difficulties or suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder from fighting in Angola were also given powerful drugs and subjected to electric shocks. One of them was a soldier who subsequently wrote a book, a Branch of Wisdom, under the pen name Christopher.
"Within 2 days of meeting with Dr Levin, I commenced a series 6 ECTs (Electro Convulsive Therapy) against my will," he wrote.
The TRC heard testimony from a gay soldier who was chemically castrated. It was told that at least one patient had been driven to suicide by his treatment at Levin's hands. The psychiatrist refused to testify before the commission.
Levin also targeted drug users, principally soldiers who smoked marijuana, and conscientious objectors who would not serve in the apartheid military on moral grounds. Some were subjected to narco-analysis or a "truth drug", involving the injection of a barbiturate before the questioning began.
Speaking in 2000, Levin said the drug was used to help soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress. He said electric shock therapy was a standard "treatment" for gay people at the time and those subjected to it did so voluntarily.
"Nobody was held against his or her will. We did not keep human guinea pigs, like Russian communists; we only had patients who wanted to be cured and were there voluntarily," he said.
While the details of Levin's abuses at 1 Military hospital were widely aired in South Africa, he managed to suppress publication of details about his past in Canada by threatening legal action against news organisations.
Canada admitted other South African medical practitioners accused of human rights abuses, including two who worked with Wouter Basson, known as "Dr Death" for his oversight of chemical and biological warfare experiments that included the murder of captured Namibian guerrillas.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Alleged sex assault videos shown at Aubrey Levin trial
CBC News - October 12, 2012
Aubrey Levin, known in South Africa as "Dr Shock" for his use of electroshock therapy, is charged with sexual assaults on 10 patients, mostly prisoners assigned by the Canadian justice system for treatment. On Tuesday, a jury ruled he was fit to stand trial after the defence claimed Levin, 72, was suffering from the early stages of dementia.
Levin was arrested only after a male patient secretly filmed him making sexual advances. Earlier complaints by others were ignored by the authorities or not believed. His licence to practice has been suspended and the Alberta justice department has reviewed scores of criminal convictions in which the psychiatrist was a prosecution witness.
One of Levin's patients told CTV two years ago he endured abuse because he was afraid to protest.
"I didn't want him to write anything negative about me. So I pretty much kept quiet through the whole ordeal and the next time I came forward I was going to bring a tape recorder and record everything he was going to say, just to protect myself," the man said.
After his arrest, about 30 other patients came forward to accuse Levin of sexual abuse.
Levin's arrest raised questions in Canada as to how he was allowed to become a citizen and permitted to practice at the University of Calgary's Medical School even after he was named by South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) for "gross human rights abuses" during the apartheid era.
Levin was a colonel in the South African military and chief psychiatrist at 1 Military hospital in Pretoria in the 1970s and 80s, where he was in charge of a unit where electric shocks were administered to "cure" gay white conscripts. Levin also oversaw the use of electroshocks and powerful drugs against conscientious objectors refusing to fight for the apartheid army in Angola or suppress dissent in the black townships, who were held against their will and classified as "disturbed".
Levin, a member of the ruling National party during apartheid, had a long history of claiming to be able to cure gay people. In the 1960s, he wrote to a parliamentary committee considering the abolition of laws criminalising homosexuality saying they should be left in place because he could turn them into heterosexuals with electric shocks, known as aversion therapy. From 1969, he subjected an undetermined number of men to the treatment at the infamous ward 22 of the military hospital near Pretoria that catered for service personnel with psychological problems.
Levin encouraged commanding officers and chaplains to refer "deviants" for electroconvulsive aversion therapy, which consisted of homosexual soldiers being shown pictures of naked men and encouraged to fantasise as they were subject to increasingly powerful electric shocks until they begged for the pain to stop.
Some of the abuses were documented by the Aversion Project in South Africa (pdf). Its report quotes Trudie Grobler, an intern psychologist in the psychiatric unit at 1 Military hospital, who was forced to give electric shocks under Levin's supervision.
"I know that [the psychiatrist] did aversion therapy with the homosexual men. I don't know of a single case where it was successful … You know he would show the boys men, and then shock them, and then show them girls," she said.
According to the Aversion Project report, Grobler also saw a lesbian subjected to such severe electric shocks that her shoes flew off. "I can only think that it was the same method and intensity that the woman had been given. And it was terrible. … I couldn't believe that her body could survive it all," she said.
According to the Aversion Project, some soldiers were subjected to hundreds of electric shock sessions. It said Levin "coerced conscripts into admitting that they were homosexual to their parents, and further coerced them to undergo aversion therapy".
Among them was Michael Smith, then an 18-year-old conscript. Levin forced him to tell his parents he was gay. "It was the first time they realised I was homosexual and they were horrified. Dr Levin told them he had a therapy that would 'reorientate' me, so I agreed to the treatment," he told the Guardian in 2000.
Smith was subject to numerous electric shock sessions.
"When you kind of reached the maximum point and then you'd say 'No, no, no, I couldn't stand it any more', then he would say: 'Now you must think about your girlfriend', and all that sort of off-the-wall statements."
Other conscripts with learning difficulties or suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder from fighting in Angola were also given powerful drugs and subjected to electric shocks. One of them was a soldier who subsequently wrote a book, a Branch of Wisdom, under the pen name Christopher.
"Within 2 days of meeting with Dr Levin, I commenced a series 6 ECTs (Electro Convulsive Therapy) against my will," he wrote.
The TRC heard testimony from a gay soldier who was chemically castrated. It was told that at least one patient had been driven to suicide by his treatment at Levin's hands. The psychiatrist refused to testify before the commission.
Levin also targeted drug users, principally soldiers who smoked marijuana, and conscientious objectors who would not serve in the apartheid military on moral grounds. Some were subjected to narco-analysis or a "truth drug", involving the injection of a barbiturate before the questioning began.
Speaking in 2000, Levin said the drug was used to help soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress. He said electric shock therapy was a standard "treatment" for gay people at the time and those subjected to it did so voluntarily.
"Nobody was held against his or her will. We did not keep human guinea pigs, like Russian communists; we only had patients who wanted to be cured and were there voluntarily," he said.
While the details of Levin's abuses at 1 Military hospital were widely aired in South Africa, he managed to suppress publication of details about his past in Canada by threatening legal action against news organisations.
Canada admitted other South African medical practitioners accused of human rights abuses, including two who worked with Wouter Basson, known as "Dr Death" for his oversight of chemical and biological warfare experiments that included the murder of captured Namibian guerrillas.
____________________________________________________________________________________
CBC News - October 12, 2012
Court hears 'spy cam' videos were recorded in secret by one of the Calgary psychiatrist's alleged victims
A Calgary court was shown graphic video Thursday that was recorded by
a man who says he was sexually assaulted by former forensic
psychiatrist Aubrey Levin.
Levin is accused of sexually assaulting 10 male patients.
The court was shown two videos that were secretly recorded by one of his patients who claims to have been sexually assaulted.
The man, identified as R.B. in court, was on probation at the time the videos were taken and had been ordered by a court to see Levin twice a month.
The man said he had told authorities about previous assaults and no one believed him, so he bought a spy watch and brought it to his appointments.
Both videos show Levin undoing the man’s belt and jeans and fondling the man. In the second video, the psychiatrist had both hands on the man's genitalia for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Earlier Thursday, court heard from the man’s lawyer, who turned the tapes over to police after viewing them.
After Levin was arrested, nearly two dozen other former patients came forward with abuse allegations.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Aubrey Levin opts not to testify in his own defence
By Daryl Slade
Calgary Herald - January 16, 2013
Former prominent forensic psychiatrist Dr. Aubrey Levin has opted not to testify in his defence of nine counts of sexually assaulting male patients, most of them under his court-ordered care, between 1999 and 2010.
Chris Archer, lawyer for vthe 73-year-old Levin, abruptly closed his case on Wednesday morning when he told the seven-man, four-woman jury that he was not calling any further evidence.
The defence only called one witness in the four-month-old trial, a forensic analyst in audio-visual and digital data, who spent the last two days on the stand.
Archer then presented some documents to the jury on Wednesday, related to the initial complainant RB’s criminal convictions, then closed.
Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Donna Shelley then sent the jury home and told them to return next week for final arguments.
Archer and co-counsel Karen Molle will give their final submissions to the jury on Monday. Crown prosecutors Bill Wister and Dallas Sopko will argue on Tuesday.
Shelley then set Friday, Jan. 25 to give her final instructions on the law to the jury.
The key evidence in the trial has been videos of two sessions RB had with Levin, on March 3 and March 16, 2010, in which he used a Spy Watch wrist video to record the alleged sexual assaults.
The videos have been played in court three times, twice as part of the Crown’s case and once as part of the case with the forensic analyst Greg Stutchman of California on the witness stand.Eight other complainants also testified during the trial and one other charge was stayed.
The only time the jury saw Levin give evidence was when his videotaped statement to police after his arrest was played in court. Levin claimed he was doing medical procedures on the patients to help them with sexual dysfunctions.
____________________________________________________________________________________Levin is accused of sexually assaulting 10 male patients.
The court was shown two videos that were secretly recorded by one of his patients who claims to have been sexually assaulted.
The man, identified as R.B. in court, was on probation at the time the videos were taken and had been ordered by a court to see Levin twice a month.
The man said he had told authorities about previous assaults and no one believed him, so he bought a spy watch and brought it to his appointments.
Both videos show Levin undoing the man’s belt and jeans and fondling the man. In the second video, the psychiatrist had both hands on the man's genitalia for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Earlier Thursday, court heard from the man’s lawyer, who turned the tapes over to police after viewing them.
After Levin was arrested, nearly two dozen other former patients came forward with abuse allegations.
____________________________________________________________________________________
By Daryl Slade
Calgary Herald - January 16, 2013
Former prominent forensic psychiatrist Dr. Aubrey Levin has opted not to testify in his defence of nine counts of sexually assaulting male patients, most of them under his court-ordered care, between 1999 and 2010.
Chris Archer, lawyer for vthe 73-year-old Levin, abruptly closed his case on Wednesday morning when he told the seven-man, four-woman jury that he was not calling any further evidence.
The defence only called one witness in the four-month-old trial, a forensic analyst in audio-visual and digital data, who spent the last two days on the stand.
Archer then presented some documents to the jury on Wednesday, related to the initial complainant RB’s criminal convictions, then closed.
Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Donna Shelley then sent the jury home and told them to return next week for final arguments.
Archer and co-counsel Karen Molle will give their final submissions to the jury on Monday. Crown prosecutors Bill Wister and Dallas Sopko will argue on Tuesday.
Shelley then set Friday, Jan. 25 to give her final instructions on the law to the jury.
The key evidence in the trial has been videos of two sessions RB had with Levin, on March 3 and March 16, 2010, in which he used a Spy Watch wrist video to record the alleged sexual assaults.
The videos have been played in court three times, twice as part of the Crown’s case and once as part of the case with the forensic analyst Greg Stutchman of California on the witness stand.Eight other complainants also testified during the trial and one other charge was stayed.
The only time the jury saw Levin give evidence was when his videotaped statement to police after his arrest was played in court. Levin claimed he was doing medical procedures on the patients to help them with sexual dysfunctions.
Canadian Press - January 25, 2013
 |
| Dr. Aubrey Levin and his wife Erica Levin |
Erica Levin, 69, has been charged with contempt of court and has been under 24-hour house arrest stemming from an encounter near the Calgary Courts Centre earlier this month. Police say a charge of obstruction of justice is expected to be laid early next week.
A female juror in the trial of Erica Levin's husband, Dr. Aubrey Levin, was released from her duties after informing the court she had been approached by a woman on a transit platform and offered a white envelope containing cash.
The wife's bail hearing heard that the attempted transaction was captured on transit video. The amount of money offered was believed to be between $1,000 and $10,000.
The information is being published now because the jury in Aubrey Levin's trial has been sequestered for deliberations.
Erica Levin's lawyer, Allan Fay, told reporters Friday he was arranging to have his client examined by a psychiatric expert.
"The allegation is that she approached a juror in her husband's trial and had conversation with that juror relating to her husband's trial and of course that's forbidden under Canadian law," Fay said. "Any allegation of interference with the court process, especially with a jury trial, is extremely serious."
Erica Levin was refused bail.
"My concern is that she is someone hell-bent on subverting a jury trial," said Alberta Court of Queen's Justice Ron Stevens in his decision.
"Who would have thought anyone would tamper with a jury in the first place?" he asked.
A publication ban — often imposed on bail hearings — was not put in place at Erica Levin's hearing. She is scheduled to appear in court March 4.
The Crown prosecutor in the Aubrey Levin trial said he was surprised when the juror came forward.
"I was gobsmacked," said Bill Wister.
Fay said he expects the 24-hour house arrest will be lifted on Monday now that her husband's case is before a jury.
Aubrey Levin, 74, was charged in 2010 with molesting nine patients who had been under court orders to seek treatment from him.
The allegations came to light in 2010 after one of the patients came forward with secret videos he recorded during court-ordered sessions with the psychiatrist.
The videos, played in court last fall, showed the South African doctor undoing the man's belt and jeans and appearing to fondle him.
Fay said the trial has impacted Erica Levin physically, emotionally and psychologically.
"This is a woman who for the past three years has lived with her husband through hell. Her husband faces extremely serious allegations where there's a strong possibility he could receive a jail sentence," Fay added.
"She's been cut off from her friends. She hasn't even attended her place of worship for three years. This is a woman who's basically at the end of her rope."
____________________________________________________________________________________
By Daryl Sland
Calgary Herald - January 25, 2013
As the jury began deliberating on the fate of former court
psychiatrist Dr. Aubrey Levin on Friday for charges of sexually
assaulting nine patients, his wife remains in hot water for allegedly
trying to bribe one of the jurors.
Erica Levin, who had been in court every day for more than three months of the trial, spent two days in remand and the last two weeks on bail under house arrest after Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Donna Shelley, presiding over her 73-year-old husband’s trial, cited her for contempt.
Shelley reluctantly dismissed the female juror on Jan. 14 as a precaution after the woman wrote a letter to her outlining the alleged bribe three days earlier, then ordered Mrs. Levin, 69, to be arrested.
“This is an extremely serious matter. If proven, it is a serious criminal matter with serious criminal consequences,” the judge said. “We have a juror who has done nothing wrong regarding her oath and instructions.
“The Supreme Court of Canada has made it clear we should put a lot of faith in the juror’s oaths and the ability to instruct themselves. The public might think that being offered a bribe — if that is what occurred — the juror could not put it out of her mind.”
The juror told the judge that she recognized the woman, who offered her either $1,000 or $10,000 in a white envelope at the 5th Street LRT platform adjacent to the court house in payment for a not guilty verdict, as having sat in the gallery behind her husband many times in the trial that began in October.
The juror also told the judge the perpetrator said “my husband” at least twice.
Erica Levin was prohibited from attending the court house and to not contact any jury member in any way as long as it continues. She was subsequently released on bail by another judge, Justice Ron Stevens, on $25,000 in non-cash surety and placed under 24-hour house arrest until her husband’s trial has concluded.
The trial has continued with the remaining 11 jurors.
City police continue to investigate, have acquired closed-circuit video involving the alleged bribe, and criminal charges could also be laid after Dr. Levin’s trial.
It was the final incident in a trial that has been plagued by numerous delays as a result of more than 20 applications, some by Crown prosecutors Bill Wister and Dallas Sopko but most by defence — Dr. Levin’s original lawyers Alain Hepner and Maureen McConaghy, whom he dismissed, and subsequent counsel Chris Archer and Karen Molle.
The jury was unaware of any of the applications or the alleged bribe, as all happened in their absence and were under a publication ban until they were sequestered.
The trial, which started in late September, has stretched from what was originally to be two weeks long to nearly four months.
Initially, Hepner sought and was denied an application to have the trial adjourned for three months because of the accused’s frail physical health, including heart problems and what was described as morbid obesity.
Then, another jury ruled Dr. Levin was mentally fit to stand trial, despite his doctor’s declaration he has early symptoms of dementia and his wife’s testimony that he is very forgetful of many words and does bizarre things such as walking around with his fly open.
During the trial, defence failed to persuade the judge on four occasions to declare a mistrial and once to remove herself from the case.
Several other applications involved the Crown’s bid to seize the accused’s medical records after he failed to show up to court because he was in hospital.
Levin originally faced a total of charges of sexually assaulting 21 male patients, but 11 of the counts were withdrawn at the preliminary hearing stage and the trial began with 10 counts.
One of those counts was stayed during the trial and the complainant was never called. The other nine complainants all testified.
The key evidence involved videos taken by the initial complainant, RB, who used a wrist watch spy camera to videotape two sessions with Dr. Levin, during which the accused is seen fondling him.
In the final session, on March 16, 2010, Levin fondles RB for nearly 15 minutes.
The accused doctor did not testify in his defence but in a videotaped police interview played in court he claimed he was conducting medical procedures on RB.
It was after he was charged that police released a media statement and the other complainants came forward.
____________________________________________________________________________________Erica Levin, who had been in court every day for more than three months of the trial, spent two days in remand and the last two weeks on bail under house arrest after Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Donna Shelley, presiding over her 73-year-old husband’s trial, cited her for contempt.
Shelley reluctantly dismissed the female juror on Jan. 14 as a precaution after the woman wrote a letter to her outlining the alleged bribe three days earlier, then ordered Mrs. Levin, 69, to be arrested.
“This is an extremely serious matter. If proven, it is a serious criminal matter with serious criminal consequences,” the judge said. “We have a juror who has done nothing wrong regarding her oath and instructions.
“The Supreme Court of Canada has made it clear we should put a lot of faith in the juror’s oaths and the ability to instruct themselves. The public might think that being offered a bribe — if that is what occurred — the juror could not put it out of her mind.”
The juror told the judge that she recognized the woman, who offered her either $1,000 or $10,000 in a white envelope at the 5th Street LRT platform adjacent to the court house in payment for a not guilty verdict, as having sat in the gallery behind her husband many times in the trial that began in October.
The juror also told the judge the perpetrator said “my husband” at least twice.
Erica Levin was prohibited from attending the court house and to not contact any jury member in any way as long as it continues. She was subsequently released on bail by another judge, Justice Ron Stevens, on $25,000 in non-cash surety and placed under 24-hour house arrest until her husband’s trial has concluded.
The trial has continued with the remaining 11 jurors.
City police continue to investigate, have acquired closed-circuit video involving the alleged bribe, and criminal charges could also be laid after Dr. Levin’s trial.
It was the final incident in a trial that has been plagued by numerous delays as a result of more than 20 applications, some by Crown prosecutors Bill Wister and Dallas Sopko but most by defence — Dr. Levin’s original lawyers Alain Hepner and Maureen McConaghy, whom he dismissed, and subsequent counsel Chris Archer and Karen Molle.
The jury was unaware of any of the applications or the alleged bribe, as all happened in their absence and were under a publication ban until they were sequestered.
The trial, which started in late September, has stretched from what was originally to be two weeks long to nearly four months.
Initially, Hepner sought and was denied an application to have the trial adjourned for three months because of the accused’s frail physical health, including heart problems and what was described as morbid obesity.
Then, another jury ruled Dr. Levin was mentally fit to stand trial, despite his doctor’s declaration he has early symptoms of dementia and his wife’s testimony that he is very forgetful of many words and does bizarre things such as walking around with his fly open.
During the trial, defence failed to persuade the judge on four occasions to declare a mistrial and once to remove herself from the case.
Several other applications involved the Crown’s bid to seize the accused’s medical records after he failed to show up to court because he was in hospital.
Levin originally faced a total of charges of sexually assaulting 21 male patients, but 11 of the counts were withdrawn at the preliminary hearing stage and the trial began with 10 counts.
One of those counts was stayed during the trial and the complainant was never called. The other nine complainants all testified.
The key evidence involved videos taken by the initial complainant, RB, who used a wrist watch spy camera to videotape two sessions with Dr. Levin, during which the accused is seen fondling him.
In the final session, on March 16, 2010, Levin fondles RB for nearly 15 minutes.
The accused doctor did not testify in his defence but in a videotaped police interview played in court he claimed he was conducting medical procedures on RB.
It was after he was charged that police released a media statement and the other complainants came forward.
Calgary ex-psychiatrist found guilty of sexual assault
A Calgary jury in the sexual assault case against Aubrey Levin has found the former psychiatrist guilty on three counts of sexual assault against male patients, and not guilty on two counts of sexual assault.
Levin, 74, stood quietly and did not show any emotion as he listened to the decision, while his son and daughter-in-law were visibly emotional.
Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Donna Shelley declared a mistrial on the remaining four counts of sexual assault because the jury couldn’t reach a decision on those.
The Crown is asking for a jail term of between four and seven years.
Jury members began deliberating on Friday and were sequestered over the weekend, but appeared to be unable to agree on verdicts.
On Sunday, the jury sent the judge a letter saying it was deadlocked.
"After vigorous and lengthy deliberations, we are unable to reach a verdict on any of the nine charges and are not convinced further deliberations will help," read the letter.
On Monday morning, Justice Donna Shelley asked jurors to keep trying to reach a verdict in the case.
The jury deliberated all day and finally came to a decision on five of the nine counts at about 7:30 p.m. MT.
Levin formerly served as a court-appointed psychiatrist and was charged with nine counts of sexual assault involving male patients.
The allegations came to light in 2010 after one a patient came forward with secret videos he recorded during court-ordered sessions with the psychiatrist.
The videos, which were played in court, show Levin undoing the man's belt and jeans and appearing to fondle him.
Levin, who immigrated to Canada from South Africa, denied all the allegations against him and claimed he was conducting examinations to help with sexual dysfunction.
A charge of obstruction of justice is pending against Levin's wife, Erica, who has been under house arrest since the alleged encounter.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Jury finds Aubrey Levin guilty on 3 counts of sexual assault
Aubrey Levin not guilty on 2 sexual assault counts, while mistrial declared on 4 counts
CBC News - January 28, 2013
CLICK HERE To Watch Video
A Calgary jury in the sexual assault case against Aubrey Levin has found the former psychiatrist guilty on three counts of sexual assault against male patients, and not guilty on two counts of sexual assault.
Levin, 74, stood quietly and did not show any emotion as he listened to the decision, while his son and daughter-in-law were visibly emotional.
Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Donna Shelley declared a mistrial on the remaining four counts of sexual assault because the jury couldn’t reach a decision on those.
The Crown is asking for a jail term of between four and seven years.
Jury members began deliberating on Friday and were sequestered over the weekend, but appeared to be unable to agree on verdicts.
On Sunday, the jury sent the judge a letter saying it was deadlocked.
"After vigorous and lengthy deliberations, we are unable to reach a verdict on any of the nine charges and are not convinced further deliberations will help," read the letter.
On Monday morning, Justice Donna Shelley asked jurors to keep trying to reach a verdict in the case.
The jury deliberated all day and finally came to a decision on five of the nine counts at about 7:30 p.m. MT.
Levin formerly served as a court-appointed psychiatrist and was charged with nine counts of sexual assault involving male patients.
The allegations came to light in 2010 after one a patient came forward with secret videos he recorded during court-ordered sessions with the psychiatrist.
The videos, which were played in court, show Levin undoing the man's belt and jeans and appearing to fondle him.
Levin, who immigrated to Canada from South Africa, denied all the allegations against him and claimed he was conducting examinations to help with sexual dysfunction.
Charge pending against wife
The case also saw an accusation of jury tampering. One juror was dismissed after informing the court she had been approached by a woman and offered an envelope full of cash to find Levin not guilty.A charge of obstruction of justice is pending against Levin's wife, Erica, who has been under house arrest since the alleged encounter.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Canadian Broadcast Compay - January 29, 2013
A Calgary jury in the sexual
assault case against Aubrey Levin has found the former psychiatrist
guilty on three counts of sexual assault against male patients, and not
guilty on two counts of sexual assault.
Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Donna Shelley declared a mistrial on the remaining four counts of sexual assault because the jury couldn’t reach a decision on those.
The Crown is asking for a jail term of between four and seven years.
Jury members began deliberating on Friday and were sequestered over the weekend, but appeared to be unable to agree on verdicts.
On Sunday, the jury sent the judge a letter saying it was deadlocked.
“After vigorous and lengthy deliberations, we are unable to reach a verdict on any of the nine charges and are not convinced further deliberations will help,” read the letter.
On Monday morning, Justice Donna Shelley asked jurors to keep trying to reach a verdict in the case.
The jury deliberated all day and finally came to a decision on five of the nine counts at about 7:30 p.m. MT.
Levin formerly served as a court-appointed psychiatrist and was charged with nine counts of sexual assault involving male patients.
The allegations came to light in 2010 after one a patient came forward with secret videos he recorded during court-ordered sessions with the psychiatrist.
The videos, which were played in court, show Levin undoing the man’s belt and jeans and appearing to fondle him.
Levin, who immigrated to Canada from South Africa, denied all the allegations against him and claimed he was conducting examinations to help with sexual dysfunction.
Charge pending against wife
The case also saw an accusation of jury tampering. One juror was dismissed after informing the court she had been approached by a woman and offered an envelope full of cash to find Levin not guilty.
A charge of obstruction of justice is pending against Levin’s wife, Erica, who has been under house arrest since the alleged encounter.
____________________________________________________________________________________
ByDaryl Slade
National Post - January 29, 2013
After being hopelessly deadlocked on all nine counts a day earlier, a jury convicted Dr. Aubrey Levin late Monday on three counts of sexually assaulting patients and acquitted him on two others.
The jury still remained unable to reach a verdict on the other four counts of assaults at the forensic psychiatrist’s office at Peter Lougheed Centre between 1999 and 2010. Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Donna Shelley ordered a mistrial on those counts.
The previous night, after deliberating for three full days, the jury informed Shelley that they were unable to reach a verdict on any of the charges and no more deliberating would change their position.
Shelley exhorted the jury Monday morning to make another attempt to reach a verdict in the trial that began four months ago.
The jurors deliberated for another eight hours before finding Levin, 73, guilty of the three charges.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Sex-assault victims confront convicted psychiatrist in court
by Bill Graveland
Canadian Press - January 30, 2013
A psychiatrist convicted of sexually assaulting his court-appointed
patients was depicted on Wednesday as both a frail senior who would
suffer in prison and a sexual predator who must be punished.
Aubrey Levin’s three victims also had a chance to face their attacker.
“Dr.
Levin, I’m looking right at you. I want this day to be the beginning of
the end,” one of the victims said in a statement to the court. “I hope
you get what you deserve. I hope you suffer as much as I and everyone
else has.”
The judge will sentence Dr. Levin on Thursday.
Dr. Levin’s
defence lawyer said his 74-year-old client would be at high risk in jail
because he is frail and in ill health. Chris Archer told a sentencing
hearing that Dr. Levin should serve a sentence of between 60 and 90 days
on weekends.
Dr. Levin was found guilty on Monday of sexually assaulting three patients who had been ordered to see him by the courts.
Mr.
Archer, who said the sexual assaults were only “minor” in nature, read a
letter from Dr. Levin’s rabbi that said the psychiatrist is still
respected and loved in the Jewish community.
“His humble manner
and complete lack of arrogance endeared him to everyone,” read the
letter from Rabbi Yisroel Miller. “The bad does not erase all the good. I
know all the goodness within him still remains. A prison term would be a
death sentence for him.”
Mr. Archer said Dr. Levin’s greatest crime was breach of trust.
But
that broken trust is what aggravates the severity of the offences, said
prosecutor Dallas Sopko, who called for six to eight years behind bars.
Mr. Sopko pointed out that more than 20 assaults occurred. He argued there are no mitigating factors.
“It’s the most serious that one can imagine as far as trust goes,” Mr. Sopko said.
“The
offender clearly acted without regard for the emotional and mental
well-being of the victims.
This was a serious sexual assault repeated
over a number of years,” he added. “This case is more aggravating
because of the elevated position of trust with a psychiatrist.”
Dr.
Levin initially faced charges involving nine men, but was found guilty
on three counts and acquitted on two others. The jury could not reach a
verdict on four of the charges.
The patients were assigned to Dr. Levin between 1999 and 2010.
The
allegations against him came to light in 2010 after one of his patients
came forward with secret videos he had recorded during court-ordered
sessions with the psychiatrist.
The videos, played in court last fall, show Dr. Levin undoing the man’s belt and jeans and appearing to fondle him.
The
patient, identified only as R.B. in court, was on probation when the
videos were taken and had been ordered to see Dr. Levin twice a month.
The
man said he had told authorities about previous assaults and no one
believed him, so he bought a spy camera and brought it to his
appointments.
R.B., who is in custody, sat shackled in the
prisoner’s box so he could watch the proceedings. He broke down when
delivering his victim impact statement.
“You took my life like I was nothing,” he said. “I was destroyed.
“I believe I’ve lost several years I can never get back … memories I can never get back.”
The third victim was crying before he began addressing the court.
“I find it hard to trust anyone any more,” the young man said. “I cry myself to sleep at night.
“I wash myself constantly down there because I feel disgusting and dirty.”
Judge Shelley asked Dr. Levin if he wanted to make a statement, but he declined.
Dr.
Levin served briefly as regional director for the Regional Psychiatric
Centre in Saskatoon and was licensed in 1998 to practise psychiatry in
Alberta.
Reporters approached Dr. Levin after he left court. He
didn’t say a word and his only response was a nod when asked if he
wanted to be left alone.
____________________________________________________________________________________
74-year-old Calgary psychiatrist convicted of molesting patients to face sentencing hearing
By Bill Graveland
Canadian Press - January 30, 2013
 |
| Convicted Sex Offender - Aubrey Levin, MD |
The Crown has described Dr. Aubrey Levin, 74, as a “convicted serial
sex offender” who violated a position of trust he had with the patients
during court-ordered sessions.
Levin initially faced charges involving nine different men. Earlier
this week, a jury convicted him on three of the counts and found him not
guilty on two others. It could not reach a verdict on four of the
charges.
Prosecutor Dallas Sopko has said he will ask Justice Donna Shelley for a sentence of between four and seven years.
“It’s the Crown’s submission and we’re hopeful that the justice will
find that the facts are that the assaults were serious in nature,” said
Sopko. “It all comes down to the facts as found by the justice.”
Levin’s lawyer, Chris Archer, argues the sex assaults were minor and the sentence should be much lighter.
“The only aggravating factor is the violation of trust,” Archer said Monday evening after the verdicts were reached.
 |
| Aubrey Levin walking into the courthouse |
The allegations against him came to light in 2010 after one of his
patients came forward with secret videos he had recorded during
court-ordered sessions with the psychiatrist.
The videos, played in court last fall, show Levin undoing the man’s belt and jeans and appearing to fondle him.
The patient, identified only as R.B. in court, was on probation at
the time the videos were taken and had been ordered by a court to see
Levin twice a month.
The man said he had told authorities about previous assaults and no
one believed him, so he bought a spy camera and brought it to his
appointments.
Archer said his client should serve between 30 and 90 days on two of
the charges. He said the punishment for the more serious case involving
R.B. should depend on what the facts support.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Calgary psychiatrist convicted of sexually assaulting three of his patients too frail for prison: lawyer
By Bill Graveland
Canadian Press - January 30, 2013
A psychiatrist convicted of sexually assaulting three of his patients was depicted Wednesday as both a frail senior who would suffer in prison and a predatory offender who must be punished.
Dr. Aubrey Levin’s defence lawyer said his 74-year-old client would be at high risk in prison because he is frail and in ill health. Chris Archer told a sentencing hearing that Levin should serve a sentence of between 60 and 90 days on weekends.
Levin was found guilty on Monday of sexually assaulting three patients who had been ordered to see him by the courts.
Mr. Archer read a letter from Levin’s rabbi that said Levin is respected and loved and a prison term would be a death sentence.
The letter also said that all the good the psychiatrist has done in his life has not been erased by the bad.
A psychiatrist convicted of sexually assaulting three of his patients was depicted Wednesday as both a frail senior who would suffer in prison and a predatory offender who must be punished.
Dr. Aubrey Levin’s defence lawyer said his 74-year-old client would be at high risk in prison because he is frail and in ill health. Chris Archer told a sentencing hearing that Levin should serve a sentence of between 60 and 90 days on weekends.
Levin was found guilty on Monday of sexually assaulting three patients who had been ordered to see him by the courts.
Mr. Archer read a letter from Levin’s rabbi that said Levin is respected and loved and a prison term would be a death sentence.
The letter also said that all the good the psychiatrist has done in his life has not been erased by the bad.
The defence characterized the sex assaults as minor and suggested Levin’s greatest crime is a breach of trust.
But that broken trust is what aggravates the severity of the offences, said prosecutor Dallas Sopko, who called for six to eight years behind bars.
The judge will pass sentence Thursday morning.
Mr. Sopko pointed out that more than 20 assaults occurred. He argued there are no mitigating factors.
One of the victims, who is still in custody, sat shackled in the prisoner’s docket after receiving permission to watch the entire hearing.
Levin initially faced charges involving nine men. He was found guilty on three counts and acquitted on two others. The jury could not reach a verdict on four other charges.
The patients had been assigned to Levin between 1999 and 2010.
The allegations against him came to light in 2010 after one of his patients came forward with secret videos he had recorded during court-ordered sessions with the psychiatrist.
The videos, played in court last fall, show Levin undoing the man’s belt and jeans and appearing to fondle him.
The patient, identified only as R.B. in court, was on probation at the time the videos were taken and had been ordered to see Levin twice a month.
The man said he had told authorities about previous assaults and no one believed him, so he bought a spy camera and brought it to his appointments.
Levin served briefly as regional director for the Regional Psychiatric Centre in Saskatoon and was licensed in 1998 to practise psychiatry in Alberta.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Aubrey Levin sentenced to 5 years in jail
CBS - January 31, 2013
Aubrey Levin, a former psychiatrist in Calgary has been sentenced to
five years in jail for sexually assaulting three of his patients.
Justice Donna Shelley handed down the sentence Thursday morning.
More to come.
Justice Donna Shelley handed down the sentence Thursday morning.
More to come.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Forensic Psychiatrist gets five years in prison
Dr. Levin exploited patients in ‘predatory and repetitious manner’
Calgary Herald - January 31, 2013
CALGARY — Once a prominent forensic
psychiatrist tasked with interviewing and writing reports on offenders
in custody, Dr. Aubrey Levin is now a convicted sex offender, facing a
lengthy prison term.
Levin, 74, who was convicted by a jury earlier this week of sexually abusing three of his patients, was sentenced Thursday to five years.
“Dr. Levin, your actions in sexually assaulting (RB, GP and WG) constitute horrible violations of the trust that these the patients put in you as their psychiatrist,” Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Donna Shelley told the offender.
“As a psychiatrist, you knew their vulnerabilities. They have confided in you things they likely had not confided to anyone else. They were entitled to feel safe and supported during their appointments with you. Instead, you exploited them in a predatory and repetitious manner.
“Yes, Mr. (RB), Mr. (GP) and Mr. (WG) had problems long before they came to see you. They came to see you for help for those problems. Instead, you added to their problems. You, as a psychiatrist, would recognize the serious harm that could result from sexual assault on individuals who were already suffering severe emotional and psychological problems — some of whom had already been sexually abused.”
Shelley said Levin deserved eight years, but because of his age and ill health, reduced the sentence on RB from four to 21/2 years, on GP from three to 21/2 and WG from one year to six months.
Levin was found not guilty of two other charges and the jury could not reach a verdict on four other counts.
He will be ordered to provide a DNA sample and be registered as a sex offender for 20 years.
Still to be dealt with is a contempt charge against the offender’s wife, Erica Levin, 69, who allegedly tried to bribe a juror on Jan. 11 by offering a female juror an envelope with cash inside in an attempt to get her to find her husband not guilty.
The wife has been under house arrest and banned from attending court until her husband’s trial was over.
It is expected she will face criminal charges next week for jury tampering. The juror reported the incident to the judge and dismissed as a precaution to not potentially give any appearance of the jury being tainted.
GP, who was sexually assaulted three times between Jan. 2, 2009, and March 5, 2009, appeared greatly relieved by the sentence.
“It’s not just for me, it’s for the victims who have been silenced. “We need justice for them, too,” GP said briefly outside court before declining further comment.
Levin was charged in March 2010 after the original complainant, RB, presented two videos taken on a spy watch camera earlier showing the doctor fondling his genitals. On the March 16, 2010, video, the judge said Levin essentially masturbates RB for about 15 minutes.
Shelley said during her decision that it was clear RB would not have purchased a spy watch video and recorded the last two sessions if there hadn’t been prior assaults. While the Crown says there were about 18 assaults, she would only say that was likely a reasonable number.
Calgary Herald - January 31, 2013
Levin, 74, who was convicted by a jury earlier this week of sexually abusing three of his patients, was sentenced Thursday to five years.
“Dr. Levin, your actions in sexually assaulting (RB, GP and WG) constitute horrible violations of the trust that these the patients put in you as their psychiatrist,” Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Donna Shelley told the offender.
“As a psychiatrist, you knew their vulnerabilities. They have confided in you things they likely had not confided to anyone else. They were entitled to feel safe and supported during their appointments with you. Instead, you exploited them in a predatory and repetitious manner.
“Yes, Mr. (RB), Mr. (GP) and Mr. (WG) had problems long before they came to see you. They came to see you for help for those problems. Instead, you added to their problems. You, as a psychiatrist, would recognize the serious harm that could result from sexual assault on individuals who were already suffering severe emotional and psychological problems — some of whom had already been sexually abused.”
Shelley said Levin deserved eight years, but because of his age and ill health, reduced the sentence on RB from four to 21/2 years, on GP from three to 21/2 and WG from one year to six months.
Levin was found not guilty of two other charges and the jury could not reach a verdict on four other counts.
He will be ordered to provide a DNA sample and be registered as a sex offender for 20 years.
Still to be dealt with is a contempt charge against the offender’s wife, Erica Levin, 69, who allegedly tried to bribe a juror on Jan. 11 by offering a female juror an envelope with cash inside in an attempt to get her to find her husband not guilty.
The wife has been under house arrest and banned from attending court until her husband’s trial was over.
It is expected she will face criminal charges next week for jury tampering. The juror reported the incident to the judge and dismissed as a precaution to not potentially give any appearance of the jury being tainted.
GP, who was sexually assaulted three times between Jan. 2, 2009, and March 5, 2009, appeared greatly relieved by the sentence.
“It’s not just for me, it’s for the victims who have been silenced. “We need justice for them, too,” GP said briefly outside court before declining further comment.
Levin was charged in March 2010 after the original complainant, RB, presented two videos taken on a spy watch camera earlier showing the doctor fondling his genitals. On the March 16, 2010, video, the judge said Levin essentially masturbates RB for about 15 minutes.
Shelley said during her decision that it was clear RB would not have purchased a spy watch video and recorded the last two sessions if there hadn’t been prior assaults. While the Crown says there were about 18 assaults, she would only say that was likely a reasonable number.
RB,
who was shackled and in custody for the sentencing hearing because of
unrelated criminal charges, could not comment. But in his victim impact
statement he read in court on Wednesday, said he has lost several years
of his life he’ll never get back.
“I can’t describe the effects Aubrey Levin has had on me,” he told court.
“I can’t describe the emotions of feeling the shame, guilt, anxiety, self-destruction from alcohol and drugs, in and out of jail. I have hate and anger for authority figures I had nowhere to turn. No one would believe me, It seemed hopeless.
The judge, after Levin’s sentencing, gave RB two days in jail for contempt for repeated inappropriate comments he made in court while on the witness stand. She said she was being lenient, because he was also a victim of Levin’s sexual assault, but warned him to conduct himself more appropriately in the future.
RB thanked her and said he was sorry, but was going through a difficult time with a heated cross-examination by defence lawyer Chris Archer.
Archer and co-counsel Karen Molle, who had sought a sentence of 90 days but certainly no longer than two years, said outside court they expect to file an appeal on behalf of Levin within two weeks.
“The sentence is obviously much longer than what we were proposing,” said Molle. “It was based on the facts the justice found in this case.
“(Levin) understands this has been a long time coming and will take the next step. We are in the process of reviewing the judgment and we’ll take the next step fairly quickly.”
Molle said she expects an appeal to be filed within two weeks and the lawyers will seek Levin’s interim bail pending an appeal. She expects him to be in a medical unit in custody in the meantime.
Archer said such a sentence is much different for a 74-year-old man than for a 35-year-old man.
“It’s a tough hit to take at his point in life. As Justice Shelley quite reasonably pointed out, you can infer a lot from a man of his ill health and age. You’re looking at the end of your life and whether or not this is going to be a significant part of it or whether or not you’re going to die in jail. It’s very traumatic.”
Crown prosecutor Dallas Sopko, who had sought a sentence of six to eight years, said he and co-counsel Bill Wister were glad the case has come to some finality and were satisfied with the outcome, given all the circumstances in the case that originally was scheduled for about four weeks and took four months.
He called the victims courageous for first coming forward to the police, then testifying in court.
He said he takes no issue with the fact the judge concluded that Levin deserved an eight-year sentence but reduced it by three years because of the offender’s age and ill health.
“The judge said, given his age, five years is a significant period of time,” said Sopko.
Sopko said he will re-evaluate and decide whether or not to pursue the four counts that resulted in a hung jury.
“We’ll have to go back, look at all our options and proceed from there. It’s too early,” said Sopko.
“I can’t describe the effects Aubrey Levin has had on me,” he told court.
“I can’t describe the emotions of feeling the shame, guilt, anxiety, self-destruction from alcohol and drugs, in and out of jail. I have hate and anger for authority figures I had nowhere to turn. No one would believe me, It seemed hopeless.
The judge, after Levin’s sentencing, gave RB two days in jail for contempt for repeated inappropriate comments he made in court while on the witness stand. She said she was being lenient, because he was also a victim of Levin’s sexual assault, but warned him to conduct himself more appropriately in the future.
RB thanked her and said he was sorry, but was going through a difficult time with a heated cross-examination by defence lawyer Chris Archer.
Archer and co-counsel Karen Molle, who had sought a sentence of 90 days but certainly no longer than two years, said outside court they expect to file an appeal on behalf of Levin within two weeks.
“The sentence is obviously much longer than what we were proposing,” said Molle. “It was based on the facts the justice found in this case.
“(Levin) understands this has been a long time coming and will take the next step. We are in the process of reviewing the judgment and we’ll take the next step fairly quickly.”
Molle said she expects an appeal to be filed within two weeks and the lawyers will seek Levin’s interim bail pending an appeal. She expects him to be in a medical unit in custody in the meantime.
Archer said such a sentence is much different for a 74-year-old man than for a 35-year-old man.
“It’s a tough hit to take at his point in life. As Justice Shelley quite reasonably pointed out, you can infer a lot from a man of his ill health and age. You’re looking at the end of your life and whether or not this is going to be a significant part of it or whether or not you’re going to die in jail. It’s very traumatic.”
Crown prosecutor Dallas Sopko, who had sought a sentence of six to eight years, said he and co-counsel Bill Wister were glad the case has come to some finality and were satisfied with the outcome, given all the circumstances in the case that originally was scheduled for about four weeks and took four months.
He called the victims courageous for first coming forward to the police, then testifying in court.
He said he takes no issue with the fact the judge concluded that Levin deserved an eight-year sentence but reduced it by three years because of the offender’s age and ill health.
“The judge said, given his age, five years is a significant period of time,” said Sopko.
Sopko said he will re-evaluate and decide whether or not to pursue the four counts that resulted in a hung jury.
“We’ll have to go back, look at all our options and proceed from there. It’s too early,” said Sopko.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Calgary psychiatrist gets 5 years for patient assaults
By Kevin Martin
Calgary Sun - January 31, 2013
By Kevin Martin
Calgary Sun - January 31, 2013
The former court doctor, whose victims included two men referred to him under court order, was convicted Monday by an 11-member jury.
The four women and seven men who decided his fate ruled he sexually assaulted three of the nine former patients who testified against him over a protracted, four-month trial.
____________________________________________________________________________________
View not shared
By Adam Singer
Calgary Herald - February 5, 2013
Re: "Rabbi speaks alone," Letter, Feb. 2.
A letter from Rabbi Yisroel Miller was read to the court which said that Dr. Aubrey Levin is respected and loved in the Jewish community, according to recent media reports. Everyone is entitled to express their own opinions, but in making these comments, Miller was not speaking on behalf of the Jewish community of Calgary.
Calgary Jewish Federation, the representative body of Calgary's Jewish community, condemns sexual abuse, domestic violence and violations of human dignity. The victims of such crimes deserve to see justice done, and those found guilty in a court of law must face the consequences of their actions.
Adam Singer
President of the Calgary Jewish Federation
Aubrey Levin, South African ‘Ex-Gay’ Therapist, Jailed for Molesting Male Patients
By Sergio N. Candido
South Florida Gay News - February 5, 2013
A letter from Rabbi Yisroel Miller was read to the court which said that Dr. Aubrey Levin is respected and loved in the Jewish community, according to recent media reports. Everyone is entitled to express their own opinions, but in making these comments, Miller was not speaking on behalf of the Jewish community of Calgary.
Calgary Jewish Federation, the representative body of Calgary's Jewish community, condemns sexual abuse, domestic violence and violations of human dignity. The victims of such crimes deserve to see justice done, and those found guilty in a court of law must face the consequences of their actions.
Adam Singer
President of the Calgary Jewish Federation
____________________________________________________________________________________
Aubrey Levin, South African ‘Ex-Gay’ Therapist, Jailed for Molesting Male Patients
By Sergio N. Candido
South Florida Gay News - February 5, 2013
____________________________________________________________________________________
Orthodox Rabbi Defends Jewish Psychiatrist Who Sexually Assaulted Patients
Letter Launches Controversy Among Local Jewish Community in Calgary
By Renee Ghert-Zand
Forward - February 08, 2013
Fissures are appearing in Calgary’s Jewish community following the conviction of one of its members, a prominent forensic psychiatrist, for sexually assaulting patients. Dr. Aubrey Levin was sentenced on January 31 to five years in prison for abusing people involved with the province of Alberta’s criminal justice system who were sent to him for assessment and treatment.
Tensions began to rise among the western Canadian city’s approximately 7,500 Jews when Levin’s defense attorney announced to the court during a sentencing hearing that his client’s sexual assaults were only “minor” offenses, and then proceeded to read aloud a letter from Levin’s rabbi, Rabbi Yisroel Miller of House of Jacob Mikveh Israel, Calgary’s Orthodox synagogue.
The rabbi wrote that the psychiatrist is still loved and respected in the Jewish community and that “his humble manner and complete lack of arrogance endeared him to everyone.” The rabbi also pleaded for leniency for Levin, writing, “The bad does not erase all the good. I know all the goodness within him still remains. A prison term would be a death sentence for him.”
Nine counts had been originally brought against Levin, a 74-year-old immigrant from South Africa. A jury found him guilty of three, acquitted him of two, and was deadlocked on the remaining four, for which the judge in the case declared a mistrial.
“Dr. Levin, your actions in sexually assaulting…constitute horrible violations of the trust that these the patients put in you as their psychiatrist,” said Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Donna Shelley at the sentencing.
“As a psychiatrist, you knew their vulnerabilities. They have confided in you things they likely had not confided to anyone else. They were entitled to feel safe and supported during their appointments with you. Instead, you exploited them in a predatory and repetitious manner.” The offender’s wife, Erica Levin, was not in court. She is under house arrest following an attempt by her to bribe one of the jurors.
Andrea Silverstone, the Shalom Bayit (domestic violence) coordinator for the Jewish Family Service in Calgary, told the Forward that Levin’s connection to the Jewish community generally flew below the radar until Miller’s letter was read aloud in court.
Then, on February 2, the Calgary Herald published a letter from a Jewish woman named Maggie Serpa. “This letter and this rabbi do not represent the Calgary Jewish community,” she wrote of the letter read in court. “I am a Jew in Calgary, where there are several synagogues. This rabbi does not represent my opinion and that of many others in this sad case. Levin has a right to pray and get spiritual support, as anyone else does, but he does not have the right to use the Jewish community to bolster his defense.”
Three days later, the paper ran a letter from Adam Singer, president of the Calgary Jewish Federation, who also was quick to distance the community from Rabbi Miller’s remarks. “Everyone is entitled to express their own opinions, but in making these comments, Miller was not speaking on behalf of the Jewish community of Calgary,” he wrote. “Calgary Jewish Federation, the representative body of Calgary’s Jewish community, condemns sexual abuse, domestic violence and violations of human dignity. The victims of such crimes deserve to see justice done, and those found guilty in a court of law must face the consequences of their actions.”
Silverstone, who is also executive director of Support Services For Abused Women,” a Calgary non-profit organization, pointed out how vulnerable Levin’s victims were. “These were people who were mandated by the court or strongly advised by their lawyers to see him,” she said. “This is really shocking for the community,” Silverstone noted not only about Levin’s crimes, but also about Rabbi Miller’s letter. “I couldn’t believe a rabbi from Calgary would do that.” Rabbi Miller has not issued any more statements, and so far, there has been no public response from House of Jacob Mikveh Israel’s board.
“I want to reach out to Rabbi Miller. I am very eager to talk to him so that I can understand the decision he made, and to make him understand the damage his statement has done,” Silverstone said. “Not condemning the actions of the perpetrator makes the suffering of his victims worse.”
____________________________________________________________________________________
Aubry Levin's wife charged with obstruction of justice
CBC News - February 8, 2013
Police arrested the 69-year-old woman again Thursday.
She's accused of approaching a juror at her husband's trial and offering the woman cash to acquit him.
Aubrey Levin was sentenced to five years in jail after being found guilty last month.
Erica Levin will be in court on Feb. 14.
Erica Levin charged with trying to bribe juror in her husband's sex abuse trial
Calgary Herald - February 8, 2013
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Erica Levin allegedly tried to bribe a juror during her husband's sexual assault trial
Erica Levin, the wife of a former court-appointed psychiatrist who was found guilty on three counts of sexual assault against male patients, has now been charged with obstruction of justice.
She's accused of approaching a juror at her husband's trial and offering the woman cash to acquit him.
Aubrey Levin was sentenced to five years in jail after being found guilty last month.
Erica Levin will be in court on Feb. 14.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Erica Levin charged with trying to bribe juror in her husband's sex abuse trial
Calgary Herald - February 8, 2013
CALGARY — Convicted sex offender Dr. Aubrey Levin’s wife has been charged with trying to bribe a juror.
Erica Levin, who spent every day in court for more than three months during her husband’s trial, was arrested on Thursday.
Police have charged the 69-year-old woman with obstruction of justice.
In January, near the end of Dr. Levin’s high-profile trial, a juror told the judge she was offered either $1,000 or $10,000 in a white envelope at the 5th Street LRT platform near the courthouse in payment for a not-guilty verdict. The juror claimed she recognized the woman allegedly offering her the envelope as Aubrey Levin’s wife, having seen her many times in court.
The juror was removed from the jury following the accusation.
Police said they were contacted by Alberta Justice in relation to the female juror’s allegations. An investigation into the claim was launched by members of the Calgary Police Service’s robbery unit.
Former forensic psychiatrist Aubrey Levin, 74, was convicted by a jury earlier this week of sexually abusing three of his patients. He was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison.
Erica Levin is scheduled to appear in Calgary Provincial Court on Valentine’s Day.
A press conference has been called at police headquarters on Friday.
Calgary Jews disavow sex offender, rabbi’s letter
Already reeling from assault scandal, community recoils from leader’s message noting ‘all the good’ in convict
By Renee Ghert-Zand
Times of Israel - February 15, 2013
At issue is a letter from Rabbi Yisroel Miller, the leader of House of Jacob Mikveh Israel, an Orthodox synagogue, which was read aloud during the sentencing hearing for Dr. Aubrey Levin. Levin, who had occupied a prominent position in the University of Calgary‘s psychiatry department, was convicted Jan. 31 of sexually assaulting male patients who had been referred to him for assessment and treatment by the province of Alberta’s criminal justice system.
At the hearing, Levin’s attorney characterized the assaults as “minor” and read aloud a letter submitted by Miller, the psychiatrist’s rabbi at House of Jacob Mikveh Israel. Miller wrote that Levin’s “humble manner and complete lack of arrogance endeared him to everyone,” and pleaded for leniency.
“The bad does not erase all the good,” Miller argued. “I know all the goodness within him still remains. A prison term would be a death sentence for him.”
Justice Donna Shelley was unmoved, sentencing Levin to five years in prison for “horrible violations of the trust that these the patients put in you as their psychiatrist.”
‘Rabbi Miller expected his clergy letter . . . to be read privately by the judge, not read aloud in court’
“As a psychiatrist, you knew their vulnerabilities . . . They were entitled to feel safe and supported during their appointments with you. Instead, you exploited them in a predatory and repetitious manner.”
The offender’s wife, Erica Levin, was not in court. She was under house arrest, having beencharged with attempted jury tampering.
Her husband was released on bail Wednesday, pending the outcome of an appeal.
Levin’s membership in Calgary’s approximately 7,500-person Jewish community was not publicly acknowledged until the rabbi’s letter was read, according to Bev Sheckter, executive director of Jewish Family Service Calgary.
“I would have been happy had no one ever known he was Jewish,” she told The Times of Israel.
Calgary’s Jewish community was further shaken by the revelation of Levin’s highly controversial past in his native South Africa, where he lived before immigrating to Canada in 1995.
In South Africa, Levin had served as the chief psychiatrist in the apartheid-era military, receiving the nickname “Dr. Shock” for his use of electroconvulsive aversion therapy to “cure” gay soldiers. The psychiatrist, now 74, also reportedly held conscientious objectors against their will at a military hospital and subjected them to powerful drug treatments.
“It was a total shock,” said Nelson Halpern, co-president of House of Jacob Mikveh Israel. “Levin arrived in Calgary and joined our shul. We welcomed him as a new member and as a professional with a lovely family. We had no reason to suspect anything like this about him.”
Levin had reportedly suppressed discussion of his past once he entered Canada,allegedly threatening lawsuits against news outlets that discovered his story.
His past also included accusations before South Africa’s post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission that Levin was guilty of “gross human rights abuses,” including the chemical castration of gay men.
‘I would have been happy had no one ever known he was Jewish’
Levin was a member of the first Jewish family to join the South African National Party, which implemented and enforced apartheid for nearly five decades. He had a history of anti-gay statements and actions.
Halpern, the co-president of Calgary’s Orthodox synagogue, is one of several prominent community members to issue public statements emphasizing that Miller’s letter speaks only for the rabbi, and not for the community as a whole.
“Rabbi Miller expected his clergy letter of support for the offender to be read privately by the judge, not read aloud in court,” Halpern explained to The Times of Israel. “He has every right to be supportive of and show compassion for his congregant. However, he should have chosen other words.”
Halpern and Adam Singer, the president of the Calgary Jewish Federation, wrote letters printed in the Calgary Sun and Calgary Herald, respectively. In Singer’s, published Feb. 5, he wrote, “Miller was not speaking on behalf of the Jewish community of Calgary. Calgary Jewish Federation, the representative body of Calgary’s Jewish community, condemns sexual abuse, domestic violence and violations of human dignity. The victims of such crimes deserve to see justice done, and those found guilty in a court of law must face the consequences of their actions.”
“Federation speaks for the community, not Rabbi Miller,” said Sheckter, whose agency runs a program dealing with domestic violence and sexual abuse in the community. “The community would not have been upset if the rabbi had limited his comments to the rabbi-congregant relationship. What has upset us is that it included reference to the community as a whole. None of us would support a sexual predator who has been found guilty by law.”
“At Jewish Family Service, we try to protect the vulnerable, so to have this said about our community is very disconcerting,” Sheckter said.
Levin’s wife was under house arrest, charged with attempted jury tampering
Miller comes from a well-known and respected Boston rabbinic family and is the author of several books on Jewish thought. In Pittsburgh, he led the Modern Orthodox Congregation Poale Zedeck and held a number of leadership roles in the greater Jewish community, including as an officer of the Jewish Family & Children’s Service. Halpern said he was not sure whether Miller, who arrived at House of Jacob Mikveh Israel in July 2009, was aware of the local community’s heightened sensitivity around the issue of sexual abuse following a pedophilia case there in the 1990s, when a youth adviser and kashrut supervisor named David Webber served six years in prison for sexual assault and possession of child pornography.
Despite the community‘s negative reaction, Miller has not issued a statement since the controversy began. He didn’t respond to a request for comment from The Times of Israel.
Halpern said that the board of House of Jacob Mikveh Israel is enacting new policies to prevent a repeat of the controversy.
Sheckter has reached out to the rabbi, whom she called “a very knowledgeable man who has been open in the past to conversations with JFSC about family violence.”
“It’s really an educational piece. I don’t want to blame him,” she said. “Maybe he doesn’t understand the ramifications that sexual abuse can have on people. I want to work together so that his won’t happen again.”
“He is a powerful man. People listen to him,” Sheckter said of Miller. “If people feel a rabbi is not sensitive to these things, then victims will not come forward to ask him for help.”
Erica Levin, who spent every day in court for more than three months during her husband’s trial, was arrested on Thursday.
Police have charged the 69-year-old woman with obstruction of justice.
In January, near the end of Dr. Levin’s high-profile trial, a juror told the judge she was offered either $1,000 or $10,000 in a white envelope at the 5th Street LRT platform near the courthouse in payment for a not-guilty verdict. The juror claimed she recognized the woman allegedly offering her the envelope as Aubrey Levin’s wife, having seen her many times in court.
The juror was removed from the jury following the accusation.
Police said they were contacted by Alberta Justice in relation to the female juror’s allegations. An investigation into the claim was launched by members of the Calgary Police Service’s robbery unit.
Former forensic psychiatrist Aubrey Levin, 74, was convicted by a jury earlier this week of sexually abusing three of his patients. He was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison.
Erica Levin is scheduled to appear in Calgary Provincial Court on Valentine’s Day.
A press conference has been called at police headquarters on Friday.
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Calgary Jews disavow sex offender, rabbi’s letter
Already reeling from assault scandal, community recoils from leader’s message noting ‘all the good’ in convict
By Renee Ghert-Zand
Times of Israel - February 15, 2013
At the hearing, Levin’s attorney characterized the assaults as “minor” and read aloud a letter submitted by Miller, the psychiatrist’s rabbi at House of Jacob Mikveh Israel. Miller wrote that Levin’s “humble manner and complete lack of arrogance endeared him to everyone,” and pleaded for leniency.
“The bad does not erase all the good,” Miller argued. “I know all the goodness within him still remains. A prison term would be a death sentence for him.”
Justice Donna Shelley was unmoved, sentencing Levin to five years in prison for “horrible violations of the trust that these the patients put in you as their psychiatrist.”
‘Rabbi Miller expected his clergy letter . . . to be read privately by the judge, not read aloud in court’
“As a psychiatrist, you knew their vulnerabilities . . . They were entitled to feel safe and supported during their appointments with you. Instead, you exploited them in a predatory and repetitious manner.”
The offender’s wife, Erica Levin, was not in court. She was under house arrest, having beencharged with attempted jury tampering.
Her husband was released on bail Wednesday, pending the outcome of an appeal.
Levin’s membership in Calgary’s approximately 7,500-person Jewish community was not publicly acknowledged until the rabbi’s letter was read, according to Bev Sheckter, executive director of Jewish Family Service Calgary.
“I would have been happy had no one ever known he was Jewish,” she told The Times of Israel.
Calgary’s Jewish community was further shaken by the revelation of Levin’s highly controversial past in his native South Africa, where he lived before immigrating to Canada in 1995.
In South Africa, Levin had served as the chief psychiatrist in the apartheid-era military, receiving the nickname “Dr. Shock” for his use of electroconvulsive aversion therapy to “cure” gay soldiers. The psychiatrist, now 74, also reportedly held conscientious objectors against their will at a military hospital and subjected them to powerful drug treatments.
“It was a total shock,” said Nelson Halpern, co-president of House of Jacob Mikveh Israel. “Levin arrived in Calgary and joined our shul. We welcomed him as a new member and as a professional with a lovely family. We had no reason to suspect anything like this about him.”
Levin had reportedly suppressed discussion of his past once he entered Canada,allegedly threatening lawsuits against news outlets that discovered his story.
His past also included accusations before South Africa’s post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission that Levin was guilty of “gross human rights abuses,” including the chemical castration of gay men.
‘I would have been happy had no one ever known he was Jewish’
Levin was a member of the first Jewish family to join the South African National Party, which implemented and enforced apartheid for nearly five decades. He had a history of anti-gay statements and actions.
Halpern, the co-president of Calgary’s Orthodox synagogue, is one of several prominent community members to issue public statements emphasizing that Miller’s letter speaks only for the rabbi, and not for the community as a whole.
“Rabbi Miller expected his clergy letter of support for the offender to be read privately by the judge, not read aloud in court,” Halpern explained to The Times of Israel. “He has every right to be supportive of and show compassion for his congregant. However, he should have chosen other words.”
Halpern and Adam Singer, the president of the Calgary Jewish Federation, wrote letters printed in the Calgary Sun and Calgary Herald, respectively. In Singer’s, published Feb. 5, he wrote, “Miller was not speaking on behalf of the Jewish community of Calgary. Calgary Jewish Federation, the representative body of Calgary’s Jewish community, condemns sexual abuse, domestic violence and violations of human dignity. The victims of such crimes deserve to see justice done, and those found guilty in a court of law must face the consequences of their actions.”
“Federation speaks for the community, not Rabbi Miller,” said Sheckter, whose agency runs a program dealing with domestic violence and sexual abuse in the community. “The community would not have been upset if the rabbi had limited his comments to the rabbi-congregant relationship. What has upset us is that it included reference to the community as a whole. None of us would support a sexual predator who has been found guilty by law.”
“At Jewish Family Service, we try to protect the vulnerable, so to have this said about our community is very disconcerting,” Sheckter said.
Levin’s wife was under house arrest, charged with attempted jury tampering
Miller comes from a well-known and respected Boston rabbinic family and is the author of several books on Jewish thought. In Pittsburgh, he led the Modern Orthodox Congregation Poale Zedeck and held a number of leadership roles in the greater Jewish community, including as an officer of the Jewish Family & Children’s Service. Halpern said he was not sure whether Miller, who arrived at House of Jacob Mikveh Israel in July 2009, was aware of the local community’s heightened sensitivity around the issue of sexual abuse following a pedophilia case there in the 1990s, when a youth adviser and kashrut supervisor named David Webber served six years in prison for sexual assault and possession of child pornography.
Despite the community‘s negative reaction, Miller has not issued a statement since the controversy began. He didn’t respond to a request for comment from The Times of Israel.
Halpern said that the board of House of Jacob Mikveh Israel is enacting new policies to prevent a repeat of the controversy.
Sheckter has reached out to the rabbi, whom she called “a very knowledgeable man who has been open in the past to conversations with JFSC about family violence.”
“It’s really an educational piece. I don’t want to blame him,” she said. “Maybe he doesn’t understand the ramifications that sexual abuse can have on people. I want to work together so that his won’t happen again.”
“He is a powerful man. People listen to him,” Sheckter said of Miller. “If people feel a rabbi is not sensitive to these things, then victims will not come forward to ask him for help.”
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