Advertisement

Jail for physio who assaulted two women at his clinic on the same day

Two women have been left “traumatised” after being sexually assaulted by a veteran physiotherapist on the same day at his Brisbane clinic.

Jun 02, 2022, updated Jun 02, 2022
Physiotherapist Scott Alexander Mackay has been jailed for three months.

Physiotherapist Scott Alexander Mackay has been jailed for three months.

Scott Alexander Stuart Mackay, 48, has been jailed for a “considerable breach of trust” after touching both patients’ vaginas within hours of each other at his Windsor business in January 2019.

In only her second session with the father-of-four, the first woman received treatment for knee pain before Mackay moved his hand up to her thigh, her groin and then underneath her underwear.

Mackay then rested his fingers “between folds of my labia” for about a minute, the woman said in transcripts read in Brisbane District Court.

The second woman arrived for her first session with Mackay – a physio with 25 years’ experience – later that day to address back pain.

She “froze” when Mackay placed his fingers across her vagina as she lay on her side.

She didn’t tell anyone until July 2019 when she saw a Queensland Police Facebook post about the first woman’s complaint and contacted officers.

“For a man of your position (it is) a considerable breach of trust,” Judge Julie Dick told Mackay on Thursday.

“You have obviously caused irreparable damage to the trust of those two patients.”

Reliving the experience as witnesses at Mackay’s trial had compounded the victims’ pain, Dick said.

“Not only have they been traumatised by the experience but … they have been traumatised by the court experience,” she said.

“Both were subject to cross-examination. It was put clearly to both of them that the event they described didn’t happen.

“The jury found it did happen and I am not surprised. They were very sound witnesses.”

But Dick also noted the “irreparable damage” Mackay had caused personally and professionally before delivering her sentence.

InQueensland in your inbox. The best local news every workday at lunch time.
By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement andPrivacy Policy & Cookie Statement. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

After his arrest, Mackay closed down the physio business he had operated since 2001.

His sentence was reduced due to the “extra-curial punishment” he had endured, Dick said.

She also accepted defence barrister Kate Juhasz’s submission that Mackay’s time in prison would be difficult due to an ongoing medical condition.

“Your considerable errors of judgment in relation to these two young women have had calamitous effects on your life, on your profession,” she said.

“You have been publicly shamed. Your family has felt that. They have been shamed.

“You have undergone suffering since (his arrest).”

Mackay was on trial for one count each of rape and sexual assault.

He was found guilty on Wednesday of two counts of sexual assault.

Mackay on Thursday was sentenced to 12 months’ jail, with the term to be suspended for three years after serving three months.

Local News Matters
Advertisement

We strive to deliver the best local independent coverage of the issues that matter to Queenslanders.

Copyright © 2024 InQueensland.
All rights reserved.
Privacy Policy