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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
National
Sam Rigney

Plastic surgeon used Snapchat to procure and pay six underage girls for sex, police allege

Dr Richard Sackelariou.

PROSECUTORS have finalised the charges against a Sydney plastic surgeon accused of using Snapchat to procure and pay a number of underage Newcastle girls for sex.

Double Bay doctor Richard Paris Sackelariou remains behind bars and did not appear in Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday when the DPP revealed the charges the 68-year-old would be facing in Newcastle District Court.

Those charges include six counts of causing a child aged between 14 and 18 to do an act of child prostitution, which allegedly relate to six underage girls.

The other charges finalised were possession of child abuse material and causing a child over 14 to make child abuse material.

However, the DPP on Wednesday withdrew more than 20 other child sexual assault and child abuse material charges.

The matter was adjourned until July and in the meantime lawyers for Dr Sackelariou and prosecutors will hold a conference in June to negotiate and discuss any potential plea offers.

Dr Sackelariou, of Vaucluse, a surgeon with 40 years of experience and who has practices in Sydney and Melbourne, is accused of travelling to the Hunter region on several occasions in 2021 and 2022 to meet up with girls aged between 13 and 17.

The court previously heard Dr Sackelariou is accused of using the instant messaging app Snapchat, where he allegedly contacted the girls under the alias "Alexandre Oret" and offered them money to meet up for sex.

Dr Sackelariou was refused bail after his arrest despite offering up $700,000 and his $1.25 million property as a surety and agreeing to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet.

After he was charged last year, the HCCC said they were assessing a complaint against the plastic surgeon.

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