OBSTETRICIAN Roman Hasil was sentenced twice last month for high-range drink driving and in July for assaulting a woman and skipping out on a restaurant bill.
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Dr Hasil committed one of the drink-driving offences, on February 6 at McGraths Hill, just weeks before he was suspended by the NSW Medical Board after a damning report into several botched operations he had performed in New Zealand. He is under investigation in NSW over at least 10 serious patient complaints from his time at Lismore Base Hospital from 2001 to 2005.
The revelation about his convictions comes after the NSW Medical Board's registrar, Andrew Dix, said in February that Dr Hasil was allowed to continue to practise despite being sacked from a Melbourne hospital in 2005 for drinking while on call because it had no bearing on his ability to practise.
However, Dr Hasil's ex-wife, Sally Hasil, alleged Dr Hasil's drinking problems dated back to his first job in Australia, at the Royal Hobart Hospital, where he was allegedly dismissed for alcohol abuse.
Media reports in Slovakia last week also alleged that he drank on the job at two hospitals there as far back as the 1980s.
None of the states in which Dr Hasil worked - NSW, Tasmania, Victoria and Queensland - have been able to confirm that they did reference checks with the Slovakian hospitals.
NSW court documents show that Dr Hasil was sentenced on September 29 in the Downing Centre Local Court for high-range drink driving in Cardiff in June and disqualified from driving for three years and put on a two-year good behaviour bond.
He had already been sentenced to a year's disqualification from driving and fined $250 in the Penrith District Court, on September 8, for high-range drink driving at McGraths Hill.
In July he was sentenced to a 12-month good behaviour bond for obtaining money by deception after leaving without paying a $40.30 bill at a Chinese restaurant for a meal and a bottle of wine. He was also sentenced for assaulting a woman in Windsor the same day as the restaurant incident.
Yesterday his ex-girlfriend, Sally Hock, who lived with him in Ebenezer, near Windsor, between January and June this year said that he frequently disappeared for days on drinking binges.
"Because he would drink and drive I took his keys away and took them to work with me," Ms Hock said. She said she called police on several occasions.
Sally Hasil, who was married to Dr Hasil for 12 years, alleged that he was sacked from the Royal Hobart Hospital in March 1997 for not turning up to work because he was drunk but was rehired in November 1997.
A spokeswoman for Royal Hobart confirmed Dr Hasil worked from January to March 1997 and from November 1997 to July 1998 but said she was unaware of any disciplinary action because his file had been destroyed in a fire in 1999.
She said there had been no complaints against him.
In May 2005 he was sacked from Melbourne's Angliss Hospital for drinking while on call.
Dr Colin Feekery, chief medical officer, Eastern Health in Melbourne, said there had been no complaints made against Dr Hasil from Angliss. CRIMES Feb 6, 2008: High-range drink driving
June 6: high range drink driving
July 3: Skipped restaurant bill of $40.30
July 3: Common assault of woman