A Perth naturopath, who along with his brother, sexually abused female patients who had come to see them for help, has had his jail term increased, after WA's highest court ruled his original sentence was inadequate.
Rodrigo Andres Bascunan Cabrera was originally jailed for five years and six months jail after being found guilty of abusing five women during consultations at the successful northern suburbs practice he ran with his brother Mauricio.
Rodrigo's offences were committed between 2013 and 2017.
The women had gone to see him seeking treatment for a range of ailments, including shoulder pain, coeliac disease, and lupus.
They were abused after he falsely told them they needed a physical examination.
At the time of his sentencing the judge said all the victims, some of whom were desperate for help, had consulted him because they considered him to be a healer.
Rodrigo's convictions came about a year after his brother Mauricio was found guilty of molesting 18 female patients between 2010 and 2017.
He was sentenced to six years jail however that term was increased by four months late last year, after a 19th woman came forward as a result of publicity about the case and reported that she had also been indecently assaulted.
While Mauricio was convicted of abusing far more women than his brother, Rodrigo's offences included an element of "penetration" which made them more serious offences.
State prosecutors appealed against the five-and-a-half-year term imposed on Rodrigo and today the Court of Appeal found the sentence to be "manifestly inadequate."
In a unanimous decision, the three judges ruled Rodrigo's jail term should be increased to seven years and three months.
He was not present for today's hearing.
Complainants 'vulnerable', impacts significant
In its ruling, the court said "the length of each individual sentence was unreasonable or plainly unjust".
The court said the offences were very serious and aggravated by a number of factors, including that Rodrigo had breached the trust of women who were "vulnerable".
"The complainants regarded the respondent as a professional healer and they put their faith in him," the ruling said.
"The impact of the respondent's offending upon the complainants was significant.
"His offending adversely affected their trust in medical professionals.
"The relevant examinations carried out by the respondent were not medically warranted. His motivation was sexual gratification. The offending was brazen."
The new term means Rodrigo will have to serve five years and three months before he can be released, as opposed to three and a half years under the original sentence.
The term was backdated to March 2022, when Rodrigo was taken into custody after being found guilty of the offences, meaning his earliest release date is in June 2027.
Mauricio's earliest release date is at the start of 2026.
