A court conference scheduled today for the former child psychiatrist accused of molesting young male patients will be delayed but the District Attorney’s Office is confident the postponement won’t similarly derail the doctor’s jury trial in January.

Dr. William Hamilton Ayres, 76, is currently set for a pretrial conference this afternoon but his defense attorney Doron Weinberg has alerted the District Attorney’s Office he will be unable to make it do to illness. The conference is typically a hearing at which a defendant either accepts a plea deal or confirms an upcoming trial date so its postponement doesn’t necessarily push back any other scheduled appearances. Ayres’ is on the calendar for jury trial Jan. 5 and there is no indication it will change, said Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.

The news is welcome to those closely watching the criminal proceedings and who have expressed frustration at its numerous stops and starts since Ayres’ arrest.

Ayres was a prominent San Mateo child psychiatrist who garnered national recognition for his controversial sex-education program and treated dozens of minors referred by schools and the justice system. He is charged with abusing seven former patients under the guise of medical examinations although the prosecution argues there are many more outside the statute of limitations. Ayres, who already settled one civil suit by a former patient not included in the criminal case, has pleaded not guilty.

Ayres was arrested in April 2007 and has been essentially free from custody on varying amounts of bail since.  He is charged with 20 felonies stemming from seven alleged victims between 1991 and 1996. Dozens more made allegations but fell outside the statute of limitations.

Accusations against Ayres have swirled since a former patient accused him of child abuse in 2003. Ayres settled the case in 2005 for an undisclosed sum and he was never charged criminally until a March 2006 search of his home and storage locker turned up hundreds of patient files. From those documents, authorities found three alleged victims which were within the statute of limitations. The following publicity brought out another approximately 27 to 29 other victims, four of which also fell within the statute.

Ayres’ practice included private clients and referrals from both the juvenile justice system and school districts. He also became known as president of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and for hosting the sex education series “Time of Your Life.” Ayres received juvenile court referrals up through 2004. San Mateo police first began looking at Ayres in 2002 after a former patient accused him of molestation during the 1970s when he was 13. After a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the statute of limitations nixed criminal prosecution, the victim and Ayres reached a confidential settlement in July 2005. In a deposition for the lawsuit, Ayres reportedly admitted conducting physical exams of patients as part of his care.

Michelle Durand can be reached by e-mail: michelle@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 102.