Deliberations begin in trial of doc accused of sexually assaulting patients

MURRIETA - Jury deliberations began today in the trial of a doctor accused of groping and sexually assaulting multiple female patients in Temecula.

John Francis McGuire, 45, of Escondido is charged with 31 felony and misdemeanor counts, including forcible rape, sexual battery of a restrained person and attempted sexual assault of an unconscious person.

Following more than two weeks of testimony, the prosecution and defense delivered their closing statements today at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, after which Riverside County Superior Court Judge Stephen Gallon sent

jurors behind closed doors to begin weighing evidence presented in the case.

McGuire is being held in lieu of $3 million bail at the Southwest Detention Center.

According to a trial brief filed by Deputy District Attorney Jess Walsh, sheriff's detectives began an investigation in August 2015 after a woman, identified only as "D.A.,'' alleged that she had been inappropriately touched by the defendant on several occasions following surgery at Temecula Valley Hospital.

D.A. told detectives the encounters occurred in April of that year, when McGuire performed post-op examinations, according to court papers. Walsh alleged that the doctor repeatedly touched the woman's vagina, saying he was concerned about a "rash.''

McGuire is an ear, nose and throat specialist.

According to the prosecution, the woman checked herself and determined there was no rash. After speaking with her family about what had allegedly happened, she confronted McGuire, who "apologized'' for his behavior in a

conversation that was secretly taped, assuring her that he "had been tested for STDs'' and was not a health risk, Walsh wrote.

After sheriff's investigators heard the tape and interviewed McGuire, the doctor was arrested. Walsh said other alleged victims emerged following media reports regarding the defendant's arrest.

One of the nine women to come forward included McGuire's former housekeeper, identified only as "M.Q.,'' who alleged that she had been forcibly raped on two separate occasions while under the defendant's employ, the brief stated.

Walsh said the alleged assaults occurred in 2013 and 2014. It was not clear why M.Q. did not immediately report the alleged assault -- or why she returned to the residence after the first alleged attack.

A patient identified as "T.M.'' told investigators McGuire allegedly fondled her breasts during three separate visits, which caused her concern, but not enough to stop going back to see the doctor, who "had actually helped her

with the medical problems that she was suffering from,'' Walsh wrote.

During a visit in April 2015, the victim was allegedly raped until she was able to break free from McGuire and run out of his office, according to the brief.

The other victims alleged that McGuire consistently found reasons to grope their breasts during exams, court papers stated. One of the women alleged that she was assaulted while in a surgical recovery room, virtually

immobilized, according to court papers.

McGuire was associated with a practice in Escondido and Fallbrook that was affiliated with local hospitals.

According to the California Medical Board, McGuire has been a practicing otolaryngologist since 2005. He graduated from the Georgetown University School of Medicine two years earlier.

State records show the defendant's license to practice medicine was suspended on Sept. 21, 2015.