Hospital ‘toilet spying’ could have been sprung sooner. But a key piece of evidence went missing

The discovery of a strategically placed phone in a Royal Melbourne Hospital bathroom sparked an internal investigation months before a young doctor was allegedly caught covertly filming colleagues across town at the Austin Hospital.

However, the Royal Melbourne Hospital’s internal concerns were not forwarded to Victoria Police when the phone was discovered in a wash bag in its intensive care unit toilets in January.

Staff at the Royal Melbourne Hospital have been told in recent meetings that a phone was found in a wash bag in an intensive care unit (ICU) bathroom back in January, but that managers don’t know where that device is now.

It was only after Austin Hospital staff discovered a recording device in an employee bathroom on July 3 that police were alerted and investigations focused on trainee surgeon Ryan Cho.

Cho, 28, was employed at the Royal Melbourne between February 2024 and February 2025, before moving to work at the Austin.

On July 10, days after the discovery of the recording device at the Austin, Cho was charged with stalking and other offences.

Following a widening of the police investigation to examine Cho’s work at other hospitals, including the Royal Melbourne and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, more than 10,000 intimate files were allegedly discovered on his electronic devices and Cho was rearrested last Friday.

This masthead can now reveal that the phone uncovered at the Royal Melbourne ICU bathroom in January was never handed to police, prompting concerns among hospital workers that the covert filming of doctors, nurses, paramedics and patients could have been discovered sooner than it was.

The Age is not alleging that the phone belonged to Cho, only that it was found during his time working at the Royal Melbourne.

One Royal Melbourne Hospital source, speaking to The Age on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly, said staff were told at a recent meeting that the phone had gone “missing”.

A second hospital source said staff were left with the impression that the recording device had been “dealt with by security” without a sufficiently thorough investigation. However, in recent meetings management insisted their investigation was extensive.

A third employee said they were flabbergasted by the breakdown in hospital processes and that the saga should be a wake-up call to all hospitals and other places with large change rooms – such as schools and gyms – even if security and management initially think there is no sinister intent behind a particular recording device being left behind.

Victoria Police said the investigation into Cho’s alleged offending was continuing.

“Police expect we may identify further alleged victims. However, working through this process is expected to take some time,” a spokesperson said.

While Cho has not been charged with any offences relating to his time at the Royal Melbourne, police have alleged in court that hundreds of hours of vision seized from his computer included several files in relation to the major hospital.

In a statement, the Royal Melbourne said it was continuing to work with Victoria Police to support their investigation.

“As this is an active police investigation, we are unable to make any further comment,” the statement read.

“This is a highly distressing matter, and our number one priority is supporting our people during this time.”

Cho appeared at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court last Friday, where it was revealed that police were working to identify 400 victims allegedly covertly recorded in toilets, showers and changing rooms at the Royal Melbourne, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Austin.

Among the files uncovered by investigators were approximately 4500 intimate videos captured using toilet and shower facilities, according to police. The files allegedly named at least 406 female victims and were categorised into folders with names and workplaces.

In a recent note to employees, Royal Melbourne Hospital chief executive Professor Shelley Dolan acknowledged the distress of staff.

“We stood up our hospital incident management response two weeks ago and have completed a sweep of all bathrooms across the organisation to ensure there is no current risk,” Dolan wrote.

“We are also speaking to local teams who have reported incidents of potentially suspicious behaviour in the past. At present, we have reports of similar behaviour to that reported at Austin Hospital in three areas across [our] service: 4 South West, ICU, and theatre between January 2024 and January 2025.”

Royal Melbourne employees have been urged to contact the hospital’s support services, and a specialist counselling team will soon be made available.

“More details will be forthcoming shortly, once confirmed,” Dolan wrote.

“This matter is deeply shocking to us all and you have my commitment that we will share information as and when it comes to hand, noting this is an active police investigation and we may not be aware of developments as they occur.”

The court heard last Friday that a staff member at the Austin first raised concerns about a man loitering in the staff toilet areas of the emergency department. At the time, internal investigations had already begun into toilet blockages and damage that police now allege was done to force victims into cubicles where cameras were hidden.

Senior Constable Narelle Baker told the court hospital staff reported that Cho had been hanging around the hospital outside his rostered hours, including on July 3 when a nurse found a backpack, with a camera inside, hanging on a removable white hook. The white hooks were found in various places, including patient toilets.

Cho was denied bail last Friday. He has been remanded and will remain in custody until his next court date.

Police are encouraging anyone with further information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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