Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
MD accused in sex assault found
Fled Canada while out on bail, arrested at Greek airport
Walid Abdelhamid
A year-long, worldwide search for an elusive doctor charged with sexually assaulting a patient has finally ended.
Winnipeg Police Service said Dr. Walid Abdelhamid, who fled Canada while out on bail more than a year ago, was arrested and detained in Greece by airport security.
The Libyan-born Abdelhamid -- who was working in Canada on a training visa -- fled while on bail following his arrest in June 2009 on charges he sexually assaulted a male teen on two occasions. Abdelhamid spent two years in Ottawa before coming to Winnipeg in 2007 to study medicine at the University of Manitoba and work at Health Sciences Centre.
The victim was a Children's Hospital patient who was immobilized and on morphine he'd been given for pain relief at the time of the alleged attacks, which occurred 90 minutes apart.
WPS spokesman Const. Jason Michalyshen said Abdelhamid will be returned to Canada to face charges against him.
"It's a long, long drawn-out process (getting him back)," he said.
The Crown fought hard to keep Abdelhamid behind bars, saying he would likely flee Canada and never return to face justice if released.
At the time, the Crown noted he had made at least four recent trips to visit his family in Austria.
Investigators who predicted Abdelhamid would flee were frustrated by his escape.
The Free Press learned last year police phoned WestJet and Air Canada in late June, telling them to keep their eyes open for Abdelhamid.
Abdelhamid's father is a wealthy, high-ranking official in the Libyan government.
The father's status led to speculation Abdelhamid might have found access to a diplomatic passport and fled overseas, despite having his travel documents confiscated when released from jail. Abdelhamid was for a time believed to be in Vienna, where his father occupies his government position.
The Free Press learned Abdelhamid was actually born Walid Abdelhamid Menesi but dropped his last name in favour of his middle name when he first arrived from Libya in late 2004.
Abdelhamid filed a motion on July 15, 2009, seeking to amend his bail by returning his passport so he could make a trip to Vienna.
He also asked to have his curfew removed and to delete a condition that required him to stay away from all medical facilities or clinics, playgrounds, school areas and public swimming areas. Abdelhamid claimed his father had agreed to post $25,000 to ensure he followed his bail order.
A Queen's Bench judge agreed to relax the curfew but rejected his other requests during a July 20, 2009 hearing.
gabrielle.giroday@freepress.mb.ca
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 28, 2010 A3
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