St. John’s doctor lied about ex's father to have driver’s licence suspended, police allege

A fellowship physician in St. John lackland’s is veneer a dozen charges, including allegations he harassed his ex-partner and falsified a medical cover to feature his ex-father-in-law suspended from driving.

Marcus Hancock is set to make his first appearance at provincial court on Feb. 12. He’s charged with criminal harassment, breach of trust, uttering a forged document, and more.

Hancock's lawyer declined comment on his behalf for this story.

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary went to court last fall, before charges were laid, and asked a judge for an extension to hold on to evidence it believed was pertinent to the case against him.

During that process, police filed a sworn affidavit with the court laying out details of its investigation to date and outlined the allegations against Hancock. Those allegations have yet to be tested in court.

It’s alleged he began harassing his ex-partner about six months after she ended their relationship in January 2024. 

According to the RNC affidavit, she captured video of him driving past her residence on nine separate occasions between June and November “when he had no lawful reason” to be there.

Hancock is also accused of sending her "numerous lengthy text messages and emails,” including a stretch of messages in October of 2024 when she told him to stop nine times.

The police affidavit also alleged Hancock meddled in the sale of a business, convincing the owner not to sell it to his ex.

In their affidavit, police alleged Hancock submitted a physician’s report to the RNC and the motor vehicle registration division in the fall of 2024, stating he was the family doctor for his ex-father-in-law. 

Provincial legislation allows physicians to report patients to authorities if they believe they are “suffering from a condition that may make it dangerous for the person to operate a motor vehicle.”

According to the RNC’s affidavit, Hancock’s report indicated the man went to a hospital emergency room for alcohol withdrawal symptoms the previous April.

The man received a notice of licence suspension in the mail less than a month later.

The ex-father-in-law met with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary a few days after getting the notice. He told them he wasn’t an alcoholic, and said Hancock wasn’t even his doctor.

He provided the police with a note from the person he said was his actual doctor of more than 40 years, stating he had never been treated for problems with alcohol. His license suspension was reversed two weeks after it was first issued.

Hancock’s ex-partner went to police in November of 2024 to lodge a formal complaint of criminal harassment. 

Hancock submitted his own complaint in March of 2025, saying she was harassing him. 

He gave the RNC two DVDs, which he said contained evidence of the harassment. 

The police obtained a warrant to search the materials he provided, and later filed an application with the court to continue to hold on to the discs beyond the statutory limit of three months, saying they were important to the investigation into Hancock.

He’s now charged with making false statements to police, for accusing his ex and her father of committing crimes.

The police affidavit suggests the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador (CPSNL) had launched its own investigation into Hancock by February of 2025.

As part of that process, Hancock set up a username and password for an investigator from the college to grant access to his clinic’s electronic medical records.

The records were searched by Telus Health on March 12, 2025. According to the police affidavit, the search showed the motor vehicle registration report about his ex-father-in-law was created in June, altered in July and changed again in September before it was finally submitted.

The affidavit also alleges the credentials created for the investigator, Rebecca Lethbridge, were used to make at least four changes to various medical records. Lethbridge said she did not make the changes herself.

“The Telus Health review showed on Feb. 23, 2025, the IP address that was used to access the account of Marcus Hancock was used two minutes later to access Rebecca Lethbridge’s account, and two minutes later again accessed Rebecca Lethbridge’s account,” the affidavit reads.

Hancock has been charged with one count of altering or destroying computer data, and two counts of fraudulently impersonating the CPSNL investigator.

Hancock’s medical licence was suspended on April 4, 2025, and remains suspended according to the CPSNL website.

In a pair of videos posted on social media last year, Hancock said the information and documentation being used against him was “clearly, objectively, materially fraudulent and false,” and that his suspension was imposed before the investigation was complete. He denied all wrongdoing.

Ryan Cooke is a journalist with the Atlantic Investigative Unit, based in St. John's. He can be reached at ryan.cooke@cbc.ca.

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