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Nurse: Doctor got too close to patients

TORONTO, April 11 (UPI) -- A Canadian anesthesiologist on trial for allegedly sexually assaulting patients sometimes caressed the faces of unconscious women, a nurse testified.

Laura Cameron testified Wednesday against George Doodnaught, the Toronto Star reported. She said she once observed him fiddling with his pants.

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Cameron was formerly a surgical nurse at North York General Hospital in Toronto.

"When I first started working at North York General he appeared to be a very, very compassionate individual," Cameron said. "As time went on it became more than just caring and compassionate, from what I observed."

Cameron did not describe actual sexual acts but said she saw a lot of inappropriate behavior. Under cross-examination, Doodnaught's lawyer suggested he had a certain style of interacting with patients of both sexes, but Cameron said he got physically closer to women.

Doodnaught, 64, is charged with assaulting 21 women ranging in age from 25 to 75. All but one were surgical patients at North York from 2006 to 2010.

Cameron said his dealings with patients could be disturbing: "Many times he would be sitting very close and actually touching the woman's face and caressing the woman's face, speaking softly."

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