By Canadian Press

Mistaken identity: Porn charge dropped against Nova Scotia doctor after police mix-up

Jan 26, 2021 | 8:14 AM

HALIFAX — The governing body for Nova Scotia doctors says police wrongly accused a physician of possessing child pornography last month in a case of mistaken identity.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia says Dr. David Barnett’s lawyer told the organization that he was facing a charge of possessing child pornography and the college suspended his licence to practise medicine on Dec. 4.

Dr. Gus Grant, the college’s CEO, says the Crown on Monday informed the college that the allegation had been dismissed in Halifax provincial court.

Grant says a Crown attorney confirmed that police had mistaken Barnett for someone with a similar name and email address in Ohio, who has been arrested.

The CEO says there is no evidence connecting the Cole Harbour doctor with the alleged crime.

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Grant says when the college learned about the mix-up, it immediately convened a committee that removed the interim suspension imposed on Barnett.

 “In the eyes of the college, Dr. Barnett’s name is entirely clear, as it should be,” Grant said in a statement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 26, 2021.

The Canadian Press