By Emily Woods, AAP
A nurse who was accused of raping a patient during a bed bath, while he was recovering from surgery in a private hospital, has been found not guilty on all charges.
Peng Yang, 38, faced trial charged with rape and three counts of sexual assault against a male patient, who was recovering from deviated septum surgery at St John of God Hospital in Geelong in 2019.
Twelve jurors were told the patient claimed Yang sexually assaulted him while giving him a bath as the man lay in his hospital bed.
However, Yang denied any sexual contact with the patient and said he was performing his normal duties as a nurse in giving the man a wash.
Defence barrister Dermot Dann labelled the patient’s claims as “extreme” and questioned his credibility, reliability and the consistency and accuracy of his account.
“Mr Yang has done nothing wrong whatsoever, not only is he presumed to be innocent, he is innocent,” Mr Dann told the jury.
The jury agreed and found Yang not guilty on all counts on Friday.
Yang walked free from the County Court in Geelong.