A JURY yesterday failed to reach a verdict after almost seven hours of deliberation in the trial of a 60-year-old dentist charged with sexually assaulting a young dental nurse at his dental surgery.
Dr John Tait, Glen House, Upper Rochestown, Cork, had denied a single charge of sexually assaulting the young woman at his dental practice at St Patrick’s Terrace, Douglas, on a date in 2006.
Yesterday at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, the jury foreman told Judge Rory McCabe that there was no prospect of the jury of eight men and four women reaching a majority verdict in the case even if they were given more time to deliberate on the evidence.
Judge McCabe thanked them for their attention to the case and excused them from jury service for five years and he granted an application by State barrister Maurice Coffey to relist the case for criminal sessions on April 23rd, 2012.
During the four-day trial, the young woman said Dr Tait had asked her to remove her bra to allow him find her sternum during an examination for a possible case of temporo mandibular joint dysfunction and she agreed.
She said Dr Tait then asked could he unzip the tunic to facilitate an examination of her neck but her tunic slipped down to her waist and moments later, he lifted up the thermal vest that she was wearing, fully exposing her breasts for about a minute.
Dr Tait denied any impropriety took place with the young woman and denied he had asked her to remove her bra on the day in question or that when she returned from another room, that he then lifted up her thermal vest to expose her breasts.
A married father of three, Dr Tait said being charged with the offence had a terrible impact on him and his family.
“It’s a devastating experience, it’s very hard on me and my family, it’s been very hard to live with. I just can’t believe it, the trauma has been phenomenal.”
Giving evidence he expressed regret that he did not have a chaperone with him in line with ethical guidelines when he carried out a dental examination on a trainee dental nurse at his surgery.
Dr Tait said that ever since then he normally has a chaperone present for any examination.
