Warning: This story contains graphic content.
A Perth paediatrician facing 53 child sex charges allegedly abused young girls he was assessing for ADHD, a court has been told.
Dr Chia Liang Saw was arrested and charged last month with one count of persistent sexual conduct with a child between 2023 and 2026, and one count of possessing child exploitation material.
Since then, a raft of new charges have been added including producing child exploitation material, indecent dealings with a child over 13 and under 16, indecently recording a child under 16 years and one count of sexual penetration of a child over 13.
Police allege that, of his 10 alleged victims, eight were young female patients aged 12 to15 years old who he also covertly recorded while they were receiving treatment for ADHD. Another child was allegedly sexually abused repeatedly at his home.
On Tuesday, Saw, who has been housed in a secure unit at Hakea Prison since his arrest, appeared via video link in Perth Magistrates Court, where he made a bid for bail.
But that attempt was delayed again as the court was told that more potential child victims were in the process of being interviewed, and prosecutors said there could be more charges coming.
Saw currently faces charges in relation to 10 children, with his arrest unfolding after a complaint was made by one of his young patients.
The court was told that, when police went to arrest Saw at his Wembley home in May, they searched his electronic devices which allegedly contained indecent material of children which he had recorded himself during medical consultations.
But Saw’s lawyer Alex Smith told the court on Tuesday that his client recorded his patients regularly “in an effort to protect himself from any suggestion of untoward behaviour”.
Another allegation was made from a friend of the family, and the court was told one alleged victim who had been a patient of Saw’s had shown the police evidence of the paediatrician arranging to meet up with her outside her school and home.
Saw, a developmental paediatrician, specialised in behavioural issues affecting children and operated from various locations in Perth, police previously said.
He has been suspended from practicing pending the outcome of his charges.
The alleged offending took place between November 2022 and May 2026 in the Perth suburbs of Wembley, Nedlands and Midland.
The child exploitation material Saw allegedly possessed was a photo of schoolgirls sitting on the ground with their underwear showing, a previous court hearing was told.
On Tuesday, prosecutors strongly opposed bail, citing the strength of the prosecution case and claiming they had already received expert medical evidence from Dr Jennifer Green, head of the Child and Adolescent Health Service, which supported the allegation “the accused would have no reason to examine the children in this manner”.
Prosecutors also told the court that Saw, a married father of two young girls, was allegedly utilising the website ‘Sugar Daddy’ – an online dating platform designed to connect wealthy, successful individuals with younger or less financially established people.
They also claimed there was evidence that Saw has googled “Dr Saw paedophile” before his arrest and that he was “stalking” children online and on social media.
Saw’s wife, a GP, remained supportive of her husband, the court was told.
Prosecutors said they held “grave concerns” for Saw’s mental health in the face of the charges, as well as his potential flight risk given his Malaysian-Australian dual citizenship.
The magistrate, who said he was “horrified” looking at the charges, said he wanted to delay the decision on whether to grant Saw bail while more potential alleged victims were being interviewed.
Saw will come back before the court on Friday afternoon.
