Former head of radiology at Jewish General in court for sexual assault

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This story contains details that some readers may find disturbing.

A doctor who was formerly head of the radiology department at the Jewish General Hospital is on trial in Montreal court on charges of sexually assaulting a woman with the assistance of another person.

Stephan Probst, 46, is alleged to have sexually abused the young woman in his penthouse apartment on August 28, 2020, along with Wendy Devera, 30, who is also accused in the case before Quebec Court Judge Suzanne Costom.

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According to an undated article on the hospital’s website, Probst “previously headed the Department of Radiology and the Division of Nuclear Medicine.” McGill University’s website also lists him as an assistant professor in the Department of Diagnostic Radiology. The Gazette has sent a query to the university asking if he is still employed there.

As the trial began Thursday, the plaintiff testified she was in a relationship with a man but wanted to experiment sexually with a woman. She said she contacted Devera through a dating website and arranged to meet Devera at Probst’s downtown penthouse, where he allegedly raped her. She also believes she was drugged before it happened.

She said she told Devera before accepting the invitation that she was not interested in having sex with another man. During cross-examination Friday, the woman said Devera informed her that Probst would be present. She also said she informed her boyfriend.

“You had some kind of agreement with your partner that you could experiment outside of your relationship, is that right?” asked defense attorney Valérie Riendeau.

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“Agreement is a big word, but yes, we talked about my desires. Being with another man was not something I was interested in at all.”

When she arrived, the plaintiff said, Probst made her a drink and Devera offered her ecstasy, which she declined. She said she had sex with Devera but felt strange when they were in a spa in the penthouse. She also said Probst came into the spa at one point and offered her a shot of alcohol.

She said Probst began to touch her, but she pushed him away, went into another room and began to dress. Then, she said, she felt like she could no longer control her body. She testified that Devera comforted her and led her to the master bedroom, where they had sex again. Then, the woman said, Probst sexually assaulted her.

Responding to questions from Riendeau on Friday, she reiterated that while she wanted to experiment sexually with a woman, she had a boyfriend and did not want to have sex with another man.

“When I’m in love, that’s the only person that matters to me,” the woman said.

The plaintiff, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, contradicted the defense when she said that she did not initially believe that she had been given drugs.

“Yes, that’s what I thought,” the woman answered without hesitation. “I had no control over my body. Things like that don’t happen every day.”

The woman also said Friday that she was in shock and “hysterical” when she left Probst’s penthouse and took an Uber ride. She said she called her boyfriend to tell him what happened.

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