An award-winning plastic surgeon and former Australia of the Year finalist, who has a clinic in Warrnambool, has been banned for three months after having sex with a patient.
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Dr Ian Holten was awarded the Centenary Medal by the Commonwealth Government for services to plastic and reconstructive surgery and was an Australian of the Year finalist in 2013.
He is the founder of Australian Skin Face Body Clinics which has outlets in Warrnambool, Geelong, Ballarat and Horsham.
In a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal hearing undertaken by the Medical Board of Australia finalised last month, but only recently published, it was found that overnight on January 1, 2014, Dr Holton had sex with a woman on his yacht.
He arranged to meet and then picked up the woman, drove to a yacht club, climbed over a fence to the enter the club because the gate was locked, consumed alcohol in his yacht and they then had sex.
The tribunal found that between July 2011 and January 2014, Dr Holten behaved in a way that constituted unprofessional conduct, in that he failed to maintain the professional boundaries between a medical practitioner and their patient.
He provided cosmetic medical and surgical services to the patient on 10 occasions.
Over the period of the professional relationship, Dr Holten and the patient contacted each other regularly via telephone calls and text messages, met for coffee, and sat in his car together and discussed their personal lives and the patient's marital difficulties.
It was found Dr Holten was a low risk of engaging in similar conduct and had no prior and subsequent disciplinary history.
Dr Holten terminated the relationship and in text messages between them it was noted the woman expressed anger, threats, pleading, placating and apparent well-wishes.
He has been banned for three months from October 14 this year.
Dr Holten will also have to attend a consultant psychiatrist for a further assessment with a report to be provided to the medical board.
Australian Skin Face Body has been contacted to comment.
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