Dr Charlie Teo accused of LYING about two surgeries – says enemies ‘got to’ patient’s husband

Star brain surgeon Charlie Teo has been charged with lying at a medical disciplinary hearing about two surgeries he performed that left patients with catastrophic brain injuries.

Lawyers for the state health watchdog questioned Dr. Teo on Monday about the risks he knew posed by surgery in 2018, and how that risk was passed on to the patient.

Dr. Teo was asked to change his evidence about where he believed the tumor was in the brain and the decision to operate, to reduce his liability.

Under questioning, Dr. Teo strongly denied that he had deliberately altered his evidence to mislead the committee.

The high-profile surgeon was greeted by a huge crowd of supporters as he arrived for the fifth, and possibly final day, of a Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) hearing in Sydney.

Neurosurgeon Charlie Teo (left) speaks to the media as his fiancee Traci Griffiths (right) looks on

The commission’s attorney, Kate Richardson SC, told Dr. Teo that he changed his evidence to protect himself after proceeding with the high-risk surgery.

‘I want to suggest that you deliberately gave false evidence to the committee for that reason. Do you accept that? she asked.

‘No,’ replied Dr. Teo.

Ms. Richardson pressed Dr. Teo for not being more clear with the patient about whether the tumor was in the tectal plate region of the brain, rather than the tegmentum, which is more dangerous to operate on.

“I want to suggest to them that at no time was it suggested to them that there was any ambiguity about where the tumor was,” Ms Richardson said.

“I absolutely disagree with that,” Dr. Teo said.

Under questioning, Dr. Teo (pictured) strongly denied that he had deliberately tampered with his evidence to mislead the committee.

Last week, the committee was told that Dr. Teo disagreed with two expert witnesses, Bryant Stokes and Andrew Morokoff, who said the risk of “profound neurological deficit” from performing the surgery was 60 percent.

Due to their different interpretation of the brain scans, Dr. Teo told the patient that the risk of death, paralysis, or locked-in syndrome was only five percent.

He told the hearing that he expressed doubt by telling patients that he was “hopeful” about the location of the tumor, but did not want to confuse patients by going into “fine neurosurgical details.”

‘These people are emotionally charged. They have heard a lot of information. You don’t want to confuse them,’ she said.

‘I’m not going to go into the finer surgical aspects with a patient. I think that is inappropriate.

Ms. Richardson also raised questions with Dr. Teo regarding comments he made to the media suggesting that the complaints against him were “forced” on family members by other physicians.

He said the husband of one of the patients was “genuinely devastated” by the outcome of the surgery and had initially blamed himself.

“I think he was tricked into thinking my intentions were not honorable,” Dr. Teo said.

Neurosurgeon Charlie Teo (left) and his fiancee Traci Griffiths arrive at a Health Care Complaints Commission Professional Standards Committee inquiry in Sydney

“We had a good relationship and that seems to have turned sour. I assumed that my enemies had “caught” him.

They have told him that it is doctor Teo’s fault, no one else’s, not the tumor.

In August 2021, Dr Teo was prevented from operating without another doctor’s approval by the NSW Medical Council after an investigation by the HCCC.

He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.