Trial opens for 82-year-old dentist accused of assaulting child patients decades ago

Richard Cuthbertson · CBC News

· Posted: May 15, 2025 5:31 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

The opening time of the proceedings of an 82-year-old Halifax dentist accused of slapping, grabbing and pushing kid patients decades agone heard grounds from a pistillate who says helium smacked her crossed the look during attraction erstwhile she was 8 oregon 9 years old.

The woman, present 46, told Halifax provincial tribunal Thursday she had been referred to Dr. Errol Gaum for a peculiar procedure, and that helium grew agitated erstwhile she couldn't beryllium still. She testified helium told her to "shut up" arsenic she cried and slapped her successful the face.

"I conscionable retrieve an unfastened manus connected the broadside of my face, and it hurt," she told the court.

Gaum, whose dentistry licence was suspended successful 2020 erstwhile allegations helium had mistreated young patients emerged, has pleaded not blameworthy to battle charges involving six complainants dating to the 1980s and 1970s.

Prosecutor Stephen Anstey told Judge Elizabeth Buckle, who is proceeding the case, that one of the six complainants volition not beryllium testifying astatine trial, and charges related to her were dismissed Thursday.

'The sanction has ne'er near my head'

The individuality of the pistillate who testified connected the archetypal time of trial, and that of other alleged victims successful the case, is taxable to a work prohibition due to the fact that they were nether 18 years of property erstwhile the offences are alleged to person taken place.

The pistillate said her household dentist referred her to Gaum for a procedure. Her parents took her to the appointment but stayed successful the waiting room. There was an adjunct contiguous for astatine slightest immoderate of the procedure, though she could not retrieve immoderate details of the woman.

She couldn't callback which broadside of her look was slapped. She besides denied the proposition by defence lawyer Nick Fitch that a latex dental dam, which is utilized to screen portion of the rima during treatment, could marque a dependable similar a smack if it slipped off.

She testified she told her parents aft they near the bureau astir what happened, and implicit the years she has told friends, her hubby and 2 different dentists.

In 2020, erstwhile allegations against Gaum began to aboveground publicly, she said she work a quality communicative connected societal media and recognized his name. She told the tribunal she is "100 per cent" definite helium is the dentist who slapped her.

"The sanction has ne'er near my head," she told the court.

Social media astatine play

The woman acknowledged during cross-examination by Fitch that she wrote a Facebook station astir Gaum in November 2020, astir a week earlier going to police. But she said she took down the post the aforesaid time due to the fact that she wanted to debar the increasing societal media "hoopla."

Social media, including a Facebook radical about Gaum, could travel into play astatine the trial. Anstey said helium anticipates each the complainants volition attest they went to constabulary aft seeing posts astir the dentist online.

Buckle asked Fitch whether portion of the defence argument volition beryllium that witnesses fabricated oregon created their stories, oregon were tainted "innocently," aft seeing posts connected societal media. Fitch replied helium volition "certainly beryllium exploring" the usage of the Facebook radical and messages betwixt people.

Another origin successful the case, according to a pretrial proceeding past year, is that diligent records from the clip of the alleged offences were agelong agone destroyed. 

The proceedings continues Friday.