By Erin Pearson
A trainee doctor accused of spying on hundreds of women in toilets across major Melbourne hospitals has walked free on the condition he live with his parents, who vowed in court to financially support him and take him on long walks and hikes.
Ryan Cho is already facing more than 130 charges, but that number is expected to rise to 500 over the next two months, prosecutors told the Supreme Court on Friday.
Ryan Cho is accused of secretly filming colleagues in the toilets of hospitals where he worked.Credit: Joe Armao
The 28-year-old, who was refused bail by Melbourne Magistrates’ Court less than a month ago, is charged with secretly recording hundreds of people, mostly women, using bathrooms and showers at the Austin Hospital, Royal Melbourne Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre from 2021 to 2025.
Outside court, Cho, dressed in sunglasses and a face mask, walked to freedom along Lonsdale Street alongside his lawyer George Balot.
Crown prosecutor Russell Hammill opposed bail and described Cho’s alleged offending as calculated and obsessive, involving meticulous planning over years.
Hammill told the court police had seized more than 10,000 intimate files, including 4500 videos, from a device at Cho’s home containing footage of victims, largely women, using toilets and showers at hospitals as well as homes the accused had shared with others.
Ryan Cho was granted bail under the condition he live with his parents, among other things.Credit: Joe Armao
After launching an investigation in July, police obtained 200 statements from 120 alleged victims, he said. More victims were expected to be identified and about 500 charges were expected to be laid before October, he added.
Hammill said the charges are currently related to stalking, producing intimate images, and installing optical surveillance devices.
Friday’s hearing came a day after Cho was hit with another 127 charges on top of his initial six, after police allegedly found more material.
The court heard police were first alerted to concerns after reports a man had been seen loitering around staff toilets in the Austin’s emergency department. At the time, maintenance workers were already investigating toilet blockages that police now allege were caused by Cho to force victims into cubicles where cameras were hidden.
The judge heard that files found on a hard drive were allegedly organised into folders and subfolders with topics including names of facilities, victims, and “tiers”. And a planning document allegedly found on Cho’s laptop demonstrated “a significant level of detail”.
Cho had also allegedly secretly recorded his former housemate nearly 150 times, Hammill said.
Cho’s lawyer, Julian McMahon, SC, urged the judge to grant his client bail, telling the court there was no evidence his client had any connection with organised crime or the kind of people who could smuggle him out of the country.
He said Cho would live with his parents, who had flown over from Singapore and paid six months’ rent for a three-bedroom property.
McMahon said there was no suggestion Cho was a threat to the safety of others. While more charges are expected, there were no allegations of material being distributed, forwarded or marketed.
Ryan Cho arrives at the Supreme Court on August 22, 2025.Credit: Eddie Jim
“We’ve got a complicated young professional man with what will almost undoubtedly be understood eventually as a complex medical psychological issue together with criminal conduct,” McMahon said.
“In this case, there are an unknown number of witnesses, but it’s sensible to say, hundreds of witnesses, perhaps.
“Sooner or later, they have to draw a line in the sand, but one cannot say the brief [of evidence] will be ready on October 1.”
McMahon said that, behind bars, Cho had been living in solitary confinement and was only allowed out to exercise in a caged area for one hour a day.
“It’s an extremely isolated existence,” he said.
Cho’s father, Wilson Cho, a logistics manager, told the court he was willing to financially support his son on bail.
He said he earned a substantial income, could offer a $50,000 surety, and was financially able to stay in Australia until the conclusion of the proceedings. More than $500,000 had already been spent on his son’s education.
The father said that if his son was bailed, they would go on long walks, hike and read books together.
Ryan Cho’s parents arrive at court on Friday.Credit: Eddie Jim
Justice James Elliott acknowledged that the alleged victims wanted Cho to remain in custody but said those views cannot be determinative of the outcome of the application.
He granted Cho bail, releasing him with a $50,000 surety and on the conditions that he abide by a nighttime curfew, not attend a hospital, not possess a camera or recording device, and engage in treatment and counselling.
Cho is expected to return to court in November.
When asked if Cho intended to fight the charges, Balot said, “that remains to be seen”.
Accused Ryan Cho, 28, and his defence lawyer George Balot leaving the Supreme Court.Credit: Eddie Jim
“The entire team of our criminal lawyers at Balot Reilly Criminal Lawyers have worked tirelessly with senior counsel to regain his liberty,” Balot said.
“Bail is not concerned with punishing an accused person in advance of a criminal trial. Bail is concerned with ensuring that an accused person appears in court to answer his bail and complies with bail conditions.”
Public records show Cho graduated from Monash University in 2022 and first registered as a medical practitioner in January 2023.
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