Charges of sexual assault and sexual interference were dropped against Toronto dentist Dr. Amir Haidaryan after prosecutors said “there is no reasonable prospect of conviction” and that they have doubts about the authenticity of the main complainant.
Haydarian, a dentist at Mount Pleasant Dental Center, was charged on June 26, 2020 with five counts of assault; one charge of making a death threat; four charges of sexual violence; and four charges of sexual intercourse (a charge that applies in cases where the victim is under the age of 16). He was subsequently charged with additional sexual assault charges on July 21, 2020.
All charges have been dropped.
“The allegations have caused significant damage to my client emotionally and to his reputation,” Haidarian’s lawyer, Joseph Neuberger, told CBC News.
“Dr. Haidaryan can move forward and be able to regain some normalcy in his life and restore his reputation.”
The criminal case against Haidaryan was disbanded on 9 June 2022, when the Royal Advocate’s Assistant told the Ontario Court that “there are serious concerns about the credibility of … the Chief Appellant”.
Tara Brun asked the court to drop the charges, saying that “these credibility problems cannot be overcome and are so important that they have in fact tarnished the evidence in the proceedings as a whole.”
The Crown made that decision after a five-day preliminary hearing in January 2022, which included the testimony of three witnesses.
Haidaryan was allowed to continue practicing by the dental regulator, but with restrictions requiring him to be monitored at all times and not to treat children until the college’s disciplinary committee reviewed the allegations against him listed on its website as “disgraceful, dishonest, unprofessional or unethical behavior ”and“ sexual abuse of a patient ”.
Earlier this month, crown prosecutors dropped all charges against Haidaryan, saying they had serious concerns about the main complainant’s credibility. (Amir Haidaryan / Facebook)
The dentist is still facing a disciplinary hearing
The closure of criminal proceedings does not end the regulator’s investigation and restrictions on its practice remain in place until the disciplinary matter is resolved or dismissed.
As part of the restrictions, he can communicate with adults only in the presence of an independent observer trained in the prevention of sexual abuse of patients. The college has asked Haidaryan to pay for this monitor.
In 2020, the college also ordered him to attend an anger management course following initial charges against him.
In a statement, the Royal College of Dental Surgeons in Ontario said that “the conditions for his practice are strict and protect the public.”
The next meetings are expected in July and September.
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