Court finds psychiatrist Cimický guilty of rape and extortion

The District Court for Prague 8 has found psychiatrist Jan Cimický guilty of rape and extortion. It remains unclear whether the verdict addresses all 39 counts in the indictment, as Judge Petr Novák is still delivering the ruling. The sentence and legal classification of the crimes have yet to be announced. The verdict is not final, as both parties can appeal to the Municipal Court in Prague.

The 76-year-old psychiatrist, absent from today’s hearing, had only attended the initial session, where he denied the charges. Prosecutor Martina Adámková requested a five-year prison sentence, while Cimický’s lawyer, Miroslav Kučerka, sought acquittal.

The prosecution alleges that between 1979 and 2019, Cimický committed nearly 40 acts, including groping and kissing, often targeting patients at the Bohnice Psychiatric Hospital and the Blue Lagoon Mental Health Center. Victims included interns, some under 18. Thirty-five acts were classified as extortion under the old Criminal Code, while the remaining four, post-2010, were defined as rape.