<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A suspended chiropractor who continued to practise for 16 months has been sentenced to community work after his lawyer said he acted out of concern for patients rather than greed.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>David Williams, 72, was handed a 12-month community corrections order and 120 hours of unpaid community work today after pleading guilty to four charges of being an unregistered health practitioner and knowingly holding out as being registered.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The charges were brought by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), claiming he continued to operate between April 2022 and August 2023 after being suspended for developing a relationship with a patient.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/caroline-springs-shooting-gunman-on-the-run-after-man-fatally-shot-in-melbournes-northwest/c4a8d831-ab0f-4bda-88ae-94453d792cbb"><strong><span>Major investigation under way after Melbourne gangland figure fatally shot</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Williams' business, which he no longer operates, was also charged with two counts of failing to provide information and produce documents requested by inspectors.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>At Ringwood Magistrates Court, Magistrate Jason Ong ordered the chiropractor to pay $15,000 in prosecution costs, and his business was fined $8000.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Despite your registration being suspended, the very next day, you continued providing chiropractic options," Ong said.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/melbourne-news-chiropractor-david-williams-avoids-jail-for-treating-patients-while-suspended/4bd046a2-4355-40fa-8c44-8e4ea8195702" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"You simply ignored the suspension."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The magistrate described Williams' conduct as a "gross breach of trust" and that he had committed the offences for personal gain.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Through your sustained, wilful, persistent, blatant disregard and defiance for the rules, you have put vulnerable members of the public ... at risk," said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Williams had a history of working unlicensed after he pleaded guilty in 2011 to knowingly claiming to be registered and performing a manipulation of a cervical spine after his licence had expired.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He re-registered as a chiropractor in January 2012 before his licence was suspended by the Chiropractic Board of Australia in April 2022 over his being a "serious risk" to patients' health and safety due to his relationship with a patient.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But an investigation in March 2023 found Williams had continued to operate, with electronic health claims system claims to show he claimed and processed $60,119.90 in 544 claims during his suspension period involving 16 patients, prosecutors said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The defence said Williams had been "prioritising" providing continuous treatment for his patients, denying it was motivated by greed.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"(He) had taken this blanket approach to business as usual and patients come first, and disregarded the requirement to stop work as a chiropractor," his lawyer said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But AHPRA's lawyers argued that didn't explain his entire offending, given there were new patients he was treating and he would have known he was suspended while he continued to practise.</span></div></div>