Aubrey Levin

Aubrey Levin (born December 18, 1938)^[1] is an ex professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of Calgary until March 2010, when his license was suspended by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta,^[2] and a convicted sex offender.

Levin was first licensed as a psychiatrist in South Africa in 1969. He was a Colonel in the South African Defence Force (SADF), as well as the chief psychiatrist at the Voortrekkerhoogte military hospital during the 1970s, during which time he was the attending psychiatrist at Greefswald, an isolated detention barracks where harsh conditions were supposed to 'cure' conscripts of supposed 'vices' and conscientious objections. He rose to notoriety for his work on an aversion therapy medical program which attempted to cure gays and lesbians of homosexuality.^[3] Between 1971 and 1989, many victims were submitted to chemical castrations and electric shock treatment, meant to cure them of their homosexual “condition.” As many as 900 homosexuals, mostly 16–24 years old who had been drafted and had not voluntarily joined the military, were subjected to forced “sexual reassignment” surgeries. Men were surgically turned into women against their will, then cast out into the world, the gender reassignment often incomplete, and without the means to pay for expensive hormones to maintain their new sexual identities.^[4] After the end of apartheid, South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission heard testimony regarding the controversial nature of the aversion project Levin ran while in the SADF.^[5]

Levin later left South Africa and was licensed by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan, Canada, in 1995, and then by Alberta's college in 1998.^[6] In March 2010 the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta suspended Levin's license^[7] over accusations of abuse after a male patient secretly filmed the psychiatrist allegedly making sexual advances.^[5]

A pre-trial hearing determined that, although in the early stages of dementia, Levin was still fit to stand trial.^[8] July 2010, police announce that 20 other men have come forward, claiming they were assaulted by Levin during counseling sessions. On October 11, 2012 Levin went to trial at the Court of Queen’s Bench in Calgary. The Crown decided to go ahead with nine of the original 21 cases. During the trial, a jury was shown the graphic secretly-recorded video of Levin touching a patient, which had been secretly recorded on the patient's camera wristwatch. On January 28, 2013, a jury found Dr. Levin guilty of three charges of sexual assault against male patients, not guilty of two other charges of sexual assault, while a mistrial was declared in reference to a further four counts.^[8][9][10] February 7, 2013 police arrested Dr. Levin’s wife Erica Levin, 69, and charge her with obstruction of justice alleging she attempted to bribe a juror in the Levin trial. The juror said she was approached on a train platform in January and offered $1000 or $10,000 in a white envelope, to bring in a not-guilty verdict. The juror informed police and was subsequently dismissed. Despite a 5-year prison sentence Levin was released on $15,000 bail on February 13, 2013. The judge says that, since his license to practice medicine has been suspended, he is “not a danger to the public.”. Levin awaits an appeal (Sept.2013).^[11]

On 23 April 2014 the Alberta Court of Appeal, in a unanimous decision, upheld the 2013 conviction. Dr. Levin was ordered to report, within 48 hours, to begin his five-year sentence.

References

11. C.J.A. C.A. Fraser, J.A. C.M. Conrad, J.A. J.D.B. McDonald In the Court of Appeal of Alberta Citation: R v Levin, 2014 ABCA 142 ... Respondent - and - Aubrey Levin Appellant Restriction on Publication ... Date: Apr 23rd 2014 | Docket: 1301-0019-A | Registry: Calgary | Court: CA | Type: Criminal

External links

• The Aversion Project
• SAMJ Forum: The Aversion Project