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A Perth paediatrician facing a string of child sex charges has been granted bail despite four new accusations being filed against him.
Dr Chia Liang Saw was arrested and charged in May with one count of persistent sexual conduct with a child between 2023 and 2026, and one count of possessing child exploitation material.
A raft of new charges were added last month, including producing child exploitation material, indecent dealings with a child over 13 and under 16, indecently recording a child under 16 years and one count of sexual penetration of a child over 13.
A further four charges were added to the list of accusations when Saw appeared at Perth Magistrates Court on Friday via video link from Hakea Prison, including one count of indecently dealing with a child aged between 13 and 16 years of age, and three counts of indecently recording a child over the age of 13 and under the age of 16.
The latest accusations include one new alleged victim, taking the total number of accusers to 11.
Saw is now facing a total of 57 charges, with his arrest unfolding after a complaint was made by one of his young patients.
Police previously said Saw was a developmental paediatrician who specialised in behavioural issues affecting children and operated from various locations in Perth.
He has been suspended from practicing pending the outcome of his charges.
The alleged offending took place between November 2022 and May 2026 in the Perth suburbs of Wembley, Nedlands and Midland.
Saw’s lawyer Alex Smith told the court three of the latest charges were based on a thumbnail image found on a personal electronic device.
Magistrate Matthew Walton said the case was a complex one with multiple complainants and imposed strict bail conditions on the accused, adding that he thought it would be highly likely there would be further charges.
However, Walton added that the fundamental thread of the Australian legal system was that a person was considered innocent until proven guilty.
“This is a very extensive list of bail conditions that apply to you,” he told Saw.
“If it is found you did breach bail it is likely you will return to custody for an extensive period.”
Saw’s bail conditions include not being within 50 metres of his alleged victims, and not to have any contact with underage people apart from his own children.
The doctor must also surrender any working with children card or authority, and he will remain on home detention and will be fitted with an electronic monitoring device.
Saw will also need to provide a $500,000 personal undertaking in addition to an increased surety of $750,000.
He is not to be released from Hakea Prison until electronic monitoring is installed and approved at the home detention address.
Smith said Saw’s wife and children had voluntarily moved out of the property and that a large suite of protections had been put in place to guard against re-offending.
Saw has also had his passport seized, was instructed not to approach within 100 metres of the Malaysian consulate, and instructed not to attempt to leave the state.
Walton also made a specific point on the strict conditions of Saw’s access to communication devices.
“You must provide police with the subscription number of the device within 48 hours,” he said.
“You must not allow any social media applications to be installed on a mobile or electronic communication device.”
The prosecutors also added a condition that any security password for the device and the name of the service provider must also be given to police.
Saw is set to face his next committal hearing on October 30.
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