A former Perth child psychiatrist who sexually abused his young patients and later filmed boys in public toilets has been sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison.
WARNING: This story contains details that may distress some readers.
Benjamin Wen, 52, touched the boys’ genitals on the pretext of conducting “puberty checks” he said were routine at his clinic in Perth’s south, between 2012 and 2016.
Benjamin Wen pictured during his trial earlier this year. (ABC News: David Weber)
Wen was found guilty in the WA District Court in April of multiple charges against 12 victims, including indecent dealing with a child under 13, and persistent sexual conduct with a child under 16.
Exploiting the vulnerable
Addressing Wen in her sentencing remarks, Judge Linda Petrusa said the breach of trust was at the highest level.
“Your victims were children who needed help,” she said.
“They were vulnerable and you exploited that vulnerability.”
Judge Petrusa said she received nine victim impact statements from the children and their parents, with one mother saying “she felt that she had failed her son”.
Another person wrote they were “haunted by the memory of what [Wen] did”.
Benjamin Wen was found guilty of offences against 12 victims. (ABC News.)
Many people, including victims and their parents, sat in the public gallery during the sentencing.
One of Wen’s victims told journalists outside court the abuse was something he would be dealing with for the rest of his life but he was happy with the sentence.
“It’s a small solace for all the pain he has caused a lot of people,” he said.
“It is good to know he can’t hurt anyone again.”
Filming boys in toilets
In 2017, Wen was given a suspended sentence for making videos of boys urinating in public toilets.
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Wen, who was previously known as Aaron Voon, had made the videos in Canada, the United States, New Zealand and Perth.
Perth doctor indecently touched 15 boys, court told
Parents of boys who had been Wen’s patients contacted WA Police following the publicity surrounding that case.
During sentencing submissions on Monday, the court heard Wen had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, neuralgia, ASD, PTSD and OCD, and his time in prison would be harder than it would be for a “normal prisoner”.
Wen’s lawyer, Patti Chong, said Wen was likely to experience “disproportionately more suffering” and his mobility was “vastly impaired”.
Wen will need to serve eight years and six months behind bars before being eligible for parole.