Warning: This article contains details about sexual assault that 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
A Surrey woman who was the primary complainant in a criminal sexual assault case that landed a former Vernon doctor in jail has filed a civil claim in BC Supreme Court against the doctor and a number of his staff, seeking redress for sexual abuse.
Peter Inkpen was sentenced to just under five years in jail for assault and six months total for two counts of sexual assault in provincial court in Vernon this past July. He had been arrested and charged with two counts of sexual assault in July 2022 and then charged with four additional counts of sexual assault in January 2024. He pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault this past March, and in June two more counts of sexual assault were filed against him.
He is due back in court for one of those additional counts of sexual assault Nov. 26 for offences allegedly committed from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, 2018, according to the BC Prosecution Service.
The identities of the victims in the previous case, and the alleged victim in the ongoing case, are protected by a publication ban.
One of the women in the previous case filed a civil claim against Inkpen and several members of his staff at his Exercise Medicine and EMG Clinic in Vernon on Sept. 16. Due to the publication ban, she is referred to in this article as Jane Doe.
Inkpen no longer has an active medical licence according to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C., and his Vernon clinic is listed as permanently closed online.
Alleged abuse
According to the notice of civil claim, Doe went to Inkpen's clinic in 2018 for treatment of chronic pain. She had significant pre-existing conditions that made her a vulnerable patient, including post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, major depressive disorder and a history of suicidal ideation.
The lawsuit points to "coercive grooming behaviours" Inkpen used to take advantage of Doe's vulnerability. This included inviting Doe to lunch and then putting his cell phone number in her phone, attempting to kiss her, messaging her photographs and sexualized comments, telling her about his own mental health challenges and marital discord, and "coercing (her) loyalty and secrecy" by telling her that if she told anyone about their sexual contact, he would no longer treat her and no one would believe her.
The lawsuit claims on as many as eight occasions, Inkpen sexually assaulted Doe at his clinic while she was under the effects of analgesics. It alleges that another sexual assault took place at her home around Christmas 2018.
Bystanders also sued
Doe's civil action also names as defendants several members of Inkpen's staff at his former clinic, including his wife. She alleges these staff members knew or ought to have known about Inkpen's behaviour, and failed to protect her from foreseeable harm. The notice of civil claim alleges that these staff members failed to ensure a chaperone was available during appointments between Doe and Inkpen; left her alone with him in vulnerable circumstances; and did not report Inkpen's sexual harassment or assault, among other instances of negligence.
In terms of injuries, the lawsuit says Doe has seen a worsening of her post-traumatic stress disorder which has led to an avoidance of medical professionals, resulting in an aggravation of her chronic pain. The alleged incidents have also worsened her depression and anxiety symptoms, while increasing suicidal ideation, panic attacks and sleep disturbance. The lawsuit states she has since suffered from an inability to trust others and, physically, she suffered bacterial vaginosis infection from one of the alleged sexual assaults.
While Inkpen has been convicted of sexual assault following his criminal trial, the allegations in the notice of civil claim have not been proven in court.
As of Nov. 6, neither Inkpen or any of the other defendants named in the lawsuit have filed a statement of defence.
