Psychiatrist in court for molestation hearing

From the Palo Alto Daily News

A San Mateo child psychiatrist accused of molesting several of his young patients in the 1990s will face the evidence against him for the first time in open court this week.

William Hamilton Ayres, 75, once president of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, has been charged with 21 counts of lewd or lascivious acts on a child under the age of 14, for allegedly fondling seven boys who had come to him for counseling between 1991 and 1996.

The boys were between the ages of 9 and 12 at the time the alleged molestations took place, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office.

Prosecutors claim there are about 30 other victims whose alleged molestations fall outside the statute of limitations.

Ayres' preliminary hearing for a judge to determine if there is enough evidence for a trial is scheduled to begin today at 9 a.m. and is expected to last about half a day.

Defense attorney Doron Weinberg has claimed that the accusations against his client were likely the result of either a mistake, false memory or suggestion.

Weinberg has also indicated that, following the preliminary hearing, he may file a motion alleging the search of Ayres' office and seizure of files by law enforcement violated privacy issues. If upheld, such a motion would not allow evidence found during the search to be admissible during a trial, he said.

According to authorities, from the 1960s through 2006, Ayres had a thriving practice treating children, and was called upon to evaluate hundreds of cases, including those of sex offenders, in San Mateo County juvenile court.

Ayres remains out of custody after posting $750,000 cash bail. If convicted, he could face the rest of his life in prison, according to the district attorney's office.