We do not wish this psychiatrist ill. We merely wish for his rapid and full recovery so that he is fully capable of serving the prison sentence he so richly deserves.
Dr. William Ayres, a prominent San Mateo child psychiatrist charged with molesting seven former patients, had his trial date postponed more than three months today because the 76-year-old psychiatrist has prostate cancer.
"He is receiving intense radiation," said Ayres' attorney, Doron Weinberg. "It's interfering with his normal mental and physical functions. It would be difficult for him to undertake a trial at this point."
Ayres, free after posting $750,000 bail, was diagnosed in the fall with cancer and began radiation therapy in January, Weinberg said. Ayres' prognosis was unknown, he said.
"It's an aggressive cancer, but it's also an aggressive treatment," the attorney said.
Ayres' trial had been scheduled to start March 10 in San Mateo County Superior Court. The new trial date is June 23.
The former president of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry is charged with molesting seven boys between 1988 and 1996. The boys were 8 to 13 when they were molested, prosecutors say.
More than 30 men have accused Ayres of molesting them as boys, authorities have said, but most of those cases are too old to prosecute under state law.
Ayres estimated he had seen about 2,000 patients during 40 years of practice in San Mateo County, including many referred to him by the county's juvenile justice system, its court-appointed attorney program, pediatricians and social workers.
Patients who have accused Ayres of molestations say he told them to undress during sessions in his private office, then fondled them.
Ayres maintains his innocence. Weinberg has said the psychiatrist was conducting legitimate medical exams, and he questioned the credibility of the former patients, including one who is an inmate San Quentin State Prison.
Three of the former patients Ayres is charged with molesting came forward after Ayres' arrest had been widely publicized, and the mother of one asked if there was money involved in raising allegations, Weinberg said.
The defense is trying to have an appellate court throw out evidence that police obtained using search warrants for Ayres' patient records. Ayres' attorneys argue that the doctor's records were legally protected from seizure.
Judge John Runde of San Mateo County Superior Court, who approved the search warrants, rejected the defense argument in December. The issue is now pending before the First District Court of Appeal.
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