Malaysian Neurosurgeon convicted of Crows Nest woman's manslaughter

Suellen Domingues-Zaupa

A NEUROSURGEON convicted of the manslaughter of a Crows Nest escort will be eligible for parole in less than four years.

Suresh Surendranath Nair, who last year pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Brazilian national Suellen Domingues-Zaupa, 22, stood in his prison greens with his arms crossed as Justice Robert Toner read out the sentence in the NSW District Court at 11am today.

Judge Toner spent 50 minutes outlining the reasoning for the sentence telling the court that Nair has been ``grossly negligent’’ in not calling an ambulance as Ms Domingues Zaupa suffered from a cocaine overdose in the bed of his Elizabeth Bay flat on November 19, 2009.

Police found her dead body on the bed two days later, after Nair’s colleagues at a Western Sydney hospital reported that he had not turned up to work.

Nair was initially charged with murder, which was later changed to manslaughter, and supplying a prohibited drug to Ms Domingues-Zaupa, and manslaugther over the death of Victoria McIntyre, 23, in February 2009.

The manslaugther charge in relation to Ms McIntyre was later dropped, and he was instead convicted of supplying her a prohibited drug.

Judge Toner said he had read and taken into account a a victim’s statement from Ms Domingues-Zaupa’s parents in Brazil.

``I found it to be a moving document,’’ he said.

He accepted that Nair had accepted responsibility by pleading guilty to manslaugther, and had showed remorse.

Good character references and evidence from people who knew Nair -including a ``powerful’’ evidence from world-renowned neurosurgeon Dr Charles Teo, who have previously worked with Nair - showed that there were some ``contradictions in this sad case’‘, he said.

He read out evidence from Nair’s psychologist stating that the neurosurgeon felt he had had ``two minds’’ in the past 10 years, one rational and one irrational.

The court also heard that Nair has started using cocaine in 2002, but abstained from it from July 2004 until November 2008.

After the break-up of a relationship with a woman he had planned to marry, Nair started using cocaine again and hiring escorts.

Nair was sentenced to at least five years and thee months in jail.

He has been in custody since January 2010, meaning he will be eligible for parole on April 30, 2015.

Read previous stories:
Dr Teo speaks in support of doctor accused of manslaughterhttp://mosman-daily.whereilive.com.au/news/story/suellen-domingues-zaupa-could-have-been-saved-by-basic-first-aid-court-told/
Escort Suellen Domingues-Zaupa `snorted cocaine’ at unit
Sex workers to be named in case over death of Suellen Domingues Zaupa