The Courier-Mail
Psychiatrist claims patient pressured him into having sex
By Vanda Carson
May 19, 2015
Psychiatrist Andrew Leggett
Andrew Alfred George Leggett, who currently works in a private practice in South Brisbane, said his patient transferred her “erotic feelings” to him.
Dr Leggett today appeared before the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal where he admitted he was wrong to have sex with the woman who was suffering from chronic depression.
Dr Leggett has spent years working for some of Brisbane’s top hospitals.
The tribunal heard he began sleeping with the depressed younger woman in July or August 2007, even though he had previously given her “intensive psychotherapy” for dysthymia — a form of chronic depression.
During treatment on 31 August 2000 the woman developed “eroticised transference” towards Dr Leggett and was “pressuring” him to have sex.
Dr Leggatt then told her he couldn’t treat her anymore and he recommended she see a female psychiatrist.
Two years later in August 2002 the woman, whose name is suppressed by the tribunal, returned to see him and again “pressured” him for sex.
Dr Leggatt did not begin sleeping with her until five years later.
In handing down his decision to “reprimand” Dr Leggett and not suspend him from practising, District Court judge Alexander Horneman-Wren said “Dr Leggett admits that the personal and sexual relationship with (the patient) was inappropriate”.
“That relationship developed into a sexual relationship and has been described in (Dr Leggetts) admission … as being a caring, intimate personal and sexual relationship in which Dr Leggett declared his love for the former patient,” Judge Horneman-Wren said.
Dr Leggett and the Medical Board had agreed that he should be suspended from practising for a year, but Judge Horneman-Wren said this wouldn’t help to protect Dr Leggett’s patients or help to maintain public confidence in psychiatrists.
Judge Horneman-Wren said the national Medical Board took action against Dr Leggett on May 29, 2012, and put conditions on his registration.
According to the health watchdog, the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency, the conditions include only seeing women patients if they are “chaperoned” by another adult, and only seeing them in business hours.
Judge Horneman-Wren said the conditions on Dr Leggett’s registration made his public hospital job “impractical”.
Dr Leggett took “paid leave” from May 2012 to October 2012 when he got a voluntary redundancy from Princess Alexandra Hospital.
He “voluntarily removed himself” from practising until January 2014 when he went to private practice, offering “male only” therapy.
He now works nearly four days a week in private practice in the Mater Medical Centre in South Brisbane.
Dr Leggett has also worked at Logan hospital and counselled Queenslanders after the floods.
Other unnamed psychiatrists and doctors gave character references to the tribunal to “speak highly” of Dr Leggett, and his dedication to “training of more junior doctors”.
Dr Leggett was “reprimanded” by the tribunal and ordered to do a course in “patient-doctor boundary violations” as well as see a psychiatrist for at least 12 sessions over a year.