A DOCTOR has claimed that he was blackmailed into selling his share of a clinic after his partners showed him pictures of him having sex with an assistant in the clinic.

Dr Tam Tak Chuen, 39, said that he attended a business meeting on March 4 with two other partners, Dr Khairul Abdul Rahman and Dr Ashraff Shamsuddin Eilyaas, and was asked to sell his share in the Eden Family Clinic or buy out the other partner's share.

This was after Dr Khairul, 44, who had the spy camera installed in the clinic, 'whipped out' photographs of him having sex with Ms Joanne Chew, a clinic assistant.

Dr Tam claimed in the High Court yesterday that Dr Khairul told him that if he refused to sell, the pictures would be made public, The Straits Times reported.

These sordid details came up at a hearing into the civil suit taken up by Dr Tam.

He wants the High Court to declare the sale of his share for $50,000 null and void.

Dr Tam and Dr Khairul were equal partners of the Eden Family Clinic in Jurong West and one-third partners of Eden Medical Aesthetics in Kembangan, together with Dr Ashraff.

The businesses are worth more than $2 million, and Dr Tam was earning about $250,000 a year. When the trial started on Monday, Dr Ashraff and Dr Tam reached a settlement.

In court on Monday, Dr Tam said that Ms Chew joined the clinic in 1999 and that their affair started sometime in 2004.

He said that he had offered to buy Dr Khairul's share for $50,000, but was told that he was 'in no position to negotiate'.

Dr Khairul also did not want them to sell both their shares to a third party and threatened to apply to wind up the companies and disclose the photographs of him with Ms Chew in the process, Dr Tam said.

'I was very afraid as I wanted to save my marriage and reputation by not having the pictures and video out there in public or on YouTube,' he said.

The night of March 4, he discovered that Dr Khairul's wife had visited his home earlier, told his wife about his affair and showed her the photographs.

He said that he felt completely betrayed as Dr Khairul and Dr Ashraff had promised to keep it secret.

Eventually, his wife forgave him and he then made a police report about being blackmailed.

Police seized the pictures and the video, but discontinued investigations in August.

When it was his turn on the stand, Dr Khairul said that he was tired of Dr Tam denying the affair and installed the camera to get to the truth.

Once the proof was in, he wanted Dr Tam out of the partnership.

Staff members had also seen Dr Tam and Ms Chew heading upstairs near closing time when the clinic had no patients.

The hearing continues.

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