WARNING: This article contains details of sexual assault which may be disturbing to some readers. If you or someone you know has been impacted by sexual violence, contact Archway Society for Domestic Peace at 250-542-1122. All programs are easily accessible, free of charge and confidential.
A former Vernon doctor has agreed to never apply to have his medical licence reinstated after he pleaded guilty to sexual assault two years ago, according to a recently published decision by the physician regulator.
Peter Inkpen pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault in June 2024. He agreed to an undertaking from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia released Tuesday, May 26.
The college says the sexual assaults involved one patient and two staff members, amounting to a serious contravention of professional ethics.
Inkpen was sentenced in July 2024 to three years and nearly three months behind bars, after factoring in time he’d spent in pre-sentence custody. He was also placed on the national sex offender registry for 20 years.
Inkpen was granted full parole in January.
Inkpen’s undertaking means he will not be allowed to apply for a medical licence in any other jurisdiction, in addition to being barred from having his suspended B.C. licence reinstated.
The college said in its undertaking that Inkpen had been treating a patient for chronic headaches. The patient is not named in the undertaking.
It was found Inkpen had used an ultrasound instrument to touch the patient’s genitals when not medically necessary. On two occasions he had also walked in on her while she was undressing, and he was found to have exposed her genitals unnecessarily.
The college’s undertaking says the sexual assaults occurred after Inkpen told the patient he was working on a research project and needed a volunteer to work with him. He told her he would be making ultrasound training and education videos, and went on to remove the patient’s underwear without her consent.
“Dr. Inkpen then applied the ultrasound device to (her groin area), and near the end of the session said that he would have to focus on that more closely, or words to that effect,” the undertaking states.
A couple days later, Inkpen texted the patient the following: “Don’t get too drunk with the girls tonight. I’ll probably need you functional tomorrow afternoon for a scanning session!”
The patient and Inkpen then had a casual text conversation about each of them drinking beer.
During a second session, Inkpen gave the patient some beer and had some himself. He used the ultrasound tool on her groin area again, according to the undertaking.
The college said Inkpen breached physician ethics codes by failing to obtain consent during physical examinations of sexual parts of her body.