Disgraced chiropractor and part-time taxi driver who claimed he had an 85 per cent success rate at curing cancer with Vitamin C is fined $30,000
- A disgraced chiropractor and part-time taxi driver claimed he could cure cancer
- George Zaphir claimed to be a 'doctor of integrative medicine' but he was a fraud
- He was ordered to stop practicing in 2016, but continued and was busted again
- Zaphir has been charged with breaching the restriction order and fined $30,000
A disgraced chiropractor and part-time taxi driver who claimed he had an 85 per cent success rate at curing cancer has been fined $30,000.
George Zaphir claimed to be a 'doctor of integrative medicine' who could cure cancer, but in 2016 he was exposed as a charlatan by A Current Affair.
The undercover sting came after one of Zaphir's patients died after receiving treatment for a tumour that was growing from his eye, which would later kill him.
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George Zaphir (pictured left) claimed to be a 'doctor of integrative medicine' who could cure cancer, but in 2016 he was revealed to be a charlatan by A Current Affair
Zaphir, who was not a doctor at all, but rather a deregistered chiropractor and a part-time taxi driver, told 59-year-old Ian Booth (pictured) he could treat his tumour with vitamin C
Zaphir, who was not a doctor, but rather a deregistered chiropractor and a part-time taxi driver, told 59-year-old Ian Booth he could treat his tumour with vitamin C.
Mr Booth's niece, Belinda McIntyre, told the program Zaphir assured her uncle that by undergoing treatment the tumour would continue to grow and eventually fall off.
'As it was growing bigger and bigger they just kept feeding to him that it's coming out and will drop off,' Ms McIntyre said.
Following the investigation, Zaphir was issued with an Interim Prohibition Order from the Office of the Health Ombudsman, which prevented him from practicing.
The order is usually reserved for health professionals that are deemed to be a serious risk to the health and safety of the general public.
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Despite the restriction, Zaphir continued to practice as a 'doctor' until he was again busted by the Office of the Health Ombudsman.
He was later charged with 56 counts of contravening the restriction order.
Australian Medical Association president Dr Kean-Seng Lim told the program a breach of the order is a very serious risk to the public and is considered criminal.
'If we have a practitioner who is willfully disregarding laws and willfully disregarding orders of prohibition then that is a serious risk to the public,' Dr Lim said.
The matter was so serious Zaphir was called to appear before the Brisbane Magistrates Court to explain himself, but he failed to turn up on the day.
The undercover sting came after one of Zaphir's (pictured) patients died after receiving treatment for a tumour that was growing from his eye, which would later kill him
He did, however, manage to call in by phone and claimed he thought it was a civil matter, but the prosecution chose to proceed with the hearing anyway.
The prosecution said Zaphir 'showed little to no remorse' and referred to his 'sustained period of offending' as 'deliberate and contemptuous'.
Zaphir later pleaded guilty to all 56 charges and he was fined $30,000.
Dr Lim said it's understandable how some vulnerable people seek a quick fix, but the moral of the story is to always speak to your trusted general practitioner.
'If you hear a claim from any practitioner which sounds too good to be true, you probably want to talk to someone else,' he said.
Zaphir pleaded guilty to 56 charges of contravening an Interim Prohibition Order and he was fined $30,000
