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A junior doctor accused of secretly filming hundreds of hospital staff has been bailed after a judge found his time on remand could be longer than any ultimate sentence.
Ryan Cho, 28, made a second bid for freedom in the Victorian Supreme Court today after his first bail application was refused in July.
He was charged with a further 127 offences yesterday, after initially being charged with nine offences including stalking and intentionally recording intimate images.
It’s alleged he filmed hundreds of workers at three Melbourne hospitals by concealing a phone in a mesh bag inside staff toilets.
Police analysed two mobile phones and a laptop seized from Cho’s home and allegedly uncovered more than 10,000 videos and images.
It’s alleged the files were categorised into different folders referencing the Austin Hospital, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Police allege the material, created between 2021 and 2025, shows staff using the toilet or shower facilities, with their genital and anal areas exposed.
The court was told today that police had taken statements from 200 witnesses but the true number of alleged victims was still unknown.
Prosecutor Russell Hammill claimed Cho should be refused bail because he posed an unacceptable risk of endangering the community and fleeing the jurisdiction.
But Cho’s barrister Julian McMahon SC argued those risks could be reduced through bail conditions including a ban on him using a phone that was capable of recording.
McMahon also noted Cho had essentially been in solitary confinement since he was remanded in July and he did not have access to a psychologist in custody.
There could also be significant delays in the court proceedings given the amount of material being assessed, McMahon said.
Justice James Elliott today agreed that delay might result in Cho spending more time on remand than any sentence he could ultimately receive.
The judge also found bail conditions including a ban on possessing recording devices and attending hospitals could alleviate any risk to the community.
Cho will walk free from court later today.
