A former Perth child psychiatrist, already convicted of filming boys in public toilets, is now fighting a slew of further child sex crime allegations in a major Western Australian trial.
District Court trial details new allegations
Benjamin Wen, 51, is facing a seven-week trial in the District Court of Western Australia, charged with 18 offences. The charges relate to 15 boys in Perth's southern suburbs between 2012 and 2016, a period when he was known as Aaron Voon. A suppression order currently prevents the publication of specific details regarding these new claims.
Prosecutor Tracy Tan informed the jury of Wen's prior criminal history, arguing it was relevant to the current case. In 2017, Wen was convicted on eight counts of possessing child exploitation material. This conviction stemmed from an incident where he was caught red-handed attempting to film a 10-year-old boy in a cinema toilet in Edmonton, Canada.
Previous conviction and international offending revealed
Ms Tan detailed how the confrontation with the child's father in Canada led to authorities discovering three more video clips of boys, aged 7 to 12, urinating in public toilets. Wen was permitted to return to Western Australia, where police subsequently found 409 images and 12 videos of child exploitation material in his possession.
The prosecutor stated that three of the victims from the prior case were filmed at the Garden City shopping centre in Booragoon, while a fourth was recorded in New Zealand. According to Ms Tan, the 15 complainants in the current trial came forward after news reports of Wen's 2017 conviction.
Complainants' accounts and trial proceedings
The court heard that while one boy allegedly complained to his parents immediately after an incident, another, who was the first to report to WA Police, claimed he had not spoken up sooner because Wen had "threatened him". Most of the complainants are expected to be among 35 witnesses called by the prosecution.
Wen's defence team, led by Anthony Elliott, has indicated it will call multiple expert witnesses. During the trial, Wen has been seen wearing a medical facemask and sitting in a wheelchair. The extra-large jury was told he suffers from medical disorders that prevent him from sitting in a regular chair for extended periods. Ms Tan noted that at the time of his previous conviction, Wen was fully mobile.
The trial continues as the court examines the serious allegations against the former child psychiatrist, whose prior actions have already established a pattern of behaviour according to the state's case.
