Former Kitchener, Ont., neurologist Jeffrey Sloka has been found not guilty on 48 counts of sexual assault, with an Ontario judge ruling the Crown failed to prove that medical examinations were used as a cover for criminal conduct.
Justice Craig Parry delivered the decisions Friday at the Waterloo Region Courthouse after a trial that began in September 2021 and stretched over several years. The case drew close attention because of the number of complainants and the setting of the allegations: patients who had seen Sloka while he was practising medicine.
Parry had prepared a 1,002-page ruling, but summarized his findings in court. He said he accepted that Sloka “adequately proposed, identified and explained each examination he acknowledged performing,” and concluded the Crown had not proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the former neurologist used examinations “as a ruse to gain access to the bodies of his female patients.”
The judge also found problems with the evidence from the complainants. In his summary, Parry said each patient “provided unreliable evidence” to some degree. He also said some testimony lacked credibility, some was affected by media coverage, and some witnesses were deliberately dishonest with the court.
A long-running case tied to medical exams
The allegations dated back to 2010 and first surfaced publicly in 2017. Court heard that Sloka saw patients for issues including migraines and head injuries, and that some were asked to undress for physical or skin examinations, including breast and pelvic exams.
Former patients testified during the trial. Sloka also took the stand in his own defence, either denying allegations or offering medical explanations for examinations he acknowledged performing. Parry said evidence from neurology expert Dr. Vera Bril did not establish that Sloka carried out examinations in a way that was inconsistent with his training.
The case also followed professional discipline. The College of Physicians and Surgeons revoked Sloka’s licence to practise in 2019 after an investigation and disciplinary process. A separate Waterloo regional police investigation led to dozens of criminal charges later that year.
At one point, Sloka faced 76 charges. Some were later dropped at the Crown’s request, leaving the 48 counts on which Parry entered not-guilty findings Friday. Closing arguments were heard in November.
Reaction inside and outside court
The ruling prompted immediate emotion in the courtroom. Some people in the gallery cried and shouted “shame” after Parry announced the decisions, and supporters of the complainants gathered outside the courthouse before and after the proceeding.
Sara Casselman, executive director of the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region, said outside court that she was shocked by the outcome. “As much as I knew the possibility, I wasn’t expecting not guilty,” she told reporters.
Sloka’s lawyer, David Humphrey, said outside court that his client had wanted a fair trial and was grateful to those who supported him. Humphrey said the judge accepted the defence position that the examinations had a medical purpose.
The criminal proceedings for Sloka ended Friday after the not-guilty findings. The ruling closes a major trial in Kitchener, but the response outside court underscored the continuing public tension around cases where allegations arise from medical settings and turn on questions of consent, credibility and proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
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