A DOCTOR who is on trial for voyeurism has denied that he took videos of men urinating in public urinals for his sexual gratification – saying instead that he was chasing feelings of disgust and “self-loathing”.
Diego Balassini (27) denies nine counts of voyeurism. Eight relate to videos he took of men urinating at Jersey Airport and in a club and a pub in St Helier, and one relates to a video of men getting changed in a gym changing room.
He accepted that he had taken the recordings but denied that they were for sexual purposes.
Dr Balassini claimed that he suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder and listed several traumatic events in his childhood.
Personal hygiene was important to him, he added, explaining that he was “disgusted” by toilets and urination, and that he was nervous about diseases passing through the airport.
Beyond the videos themselves, hundreds of files and messages were found on Dr Balassini’s phone and on a hard drive at his home – including covert recordings of men, cartoons, and explicit messages with other men.
Crown Advocate Lauren Hallam argued that this history pointed to a sexual interest in urination.
But Dr Balassini claimed that severe mental health issues meant that he was dissociating when he took the videos and couldn’t remember details of the events.
He felt compelled to take and keep the videos in order to evoke shame and disgust, he explained.
“There are some pictures in here that serve for a very specific purpose, which is that of inducing an acute sense of disgust within me and self-loathing,” he told the court.
“The purpose of keeping films such as the airport video, it serves as a reminder of what I have done… It was constantly at hand on my phone or hard drive.
“It just serves as a way to perpetuate that sense of disgust towards myself.”
Advocate Stephen Baker, defending, told the court that Dr Balassini had “complex mental health issues” that made him take “extremely high-risk actions” like walking across a road with his eyes closed.
Dr Balassini also described a lifelong inclination for “self-sabotage”.
“In 27 years, I still haven’t found a way to make it stop,” he said. “I just thought that bringing about some misfortune upon myself would ground me and bring me back down to earth.”
Advocate Baker asked him about his “self-destructive behaviour”, asking: “How has it all worked out? Here you are.”
Dr Balassini replied: “It’s worked out great. I have lost my partner. Although the General Medical Council has allowed me to retain the licence, I haven’t been allowed to work. I have lost friends as a result. I’m in huge debt. So yes, it’s worked out pretty well.”
Crown Advocate Taylor put to Dr Balassini that he felt aroused by the materials and by messages about urination, which he denied.
“It’s so far from my understanding of sexuality, the act of urination,” he told the court.
Dr Balassini also recounted how he was “retching throughout reviewing his search history with his lawyer.
Commissioner Sir William Bailhache is presiding, with Jurats Andrew Cornish and Michael Powell sitting.
The trial is due to conclude today.
