Former Woodstock doctor faces more child porn, voyeurism charges: Police

More child porn and voyeurism charges have been laid against a prominent former Woodstock doctor.

Robert Stern, 58, who at one time had a practice in Tillsonburg, is charged with making child pornography, possession of child pornography, three counts of voyeurism and voyeurism, record for sexual purpose, Woodstock police said Friday evening.

Stern was arrested on Wednesday and released from custody with a future court date, police said.

The additional charges against Stern come four months after a warrant was issued July 27 for his arrest on charges of distributing, possessing and accessing child pornography.

The charges against him were laid after investigators seized 50 devices during a search of a home on July 7, a Woodstock investigator said in August.

Det. const. Mike Haegens told The Free Press investigators were still going through the images, but police had “no release to believe” there were any of his patients.

Stern turned himself to Woodstock police on Aug. 15.

He was granted bail the same day under a pledge to pay $6,500 if any of his conditions were broken.

Stern was required to live with his three sureties and prohibited from communicating directly or indirectly by electronic devices or other means with persons under the age of 16. He was banned from attending any public spaces, such as pools, parks and daycares, where someone under 16 may be present, except when a safety is present, and providing medical care to anyone under 16, unless in the direct company of another nursing or medical staff member.

Stern was also prohibited from possessing or using any computers or devices with access to the internet unless he was either supervised, approved in advance by a surety, or using them for travel and work at his place of employment.

Stern started practicing as a family doctor in Woodstock in 1991, serving at times as the chair of emergency medicine and family practice at Woodstock Hospital. He hasn’t had medical privileges there since 2014, hospital officials have said.

Stern had chaired the regional wing of the Ontario Medical Association and was president of the Oxford County medical society for more than 20 years, according to a now-deleted biography on a medical education website. His primary location was listed as Tillsonburg Memorial Hospital, but he no longer practices there, the Free Press was told.

A spokesperson for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the regulatory body for doctors in Ontario, has confirmed Stern is no longer practicing medicine.