1 Sunday ` proudly brought to you by Mazda. Tonight on Sunday ` the America's Cup yachtie and the secret he carried. One of the great races in America's Cup history. A sailor at the very top of his game. I was really proud, and I wanted to be a part of it. That would have to be one of the best races I've ever been involved with in my life. But Kevin Hall wasn't all that he seemed to be,... I mean, there I was, just off my rocker, with the whole family there. ...battling voices in his own head. But with mental illness, there's stigma, there's shame. Can we change our perceptions? < Do you see Kevin as bipolar as a gift or as a curse? Mm... These were two people who just totally believed, never wavered. Theirs was a lifelong love affair, celebrated on every wall of their home. MAN: This is an absolute treasure trove. This is of art historical significance that, perhaps, won't ever occur again. We're inside the last days of this unparalleled art collection... < Done. Just marvellous. ...and the auction of the painting they paid $500 for. (BANGS GAVEL) Yours, sir. OMINOUS MUSIC My name is Andrea. My beautiful sister died here in Mexico last year all alone. Her sister, Evita, travelled overseas where cosmetic surgery is cheaper. You ready? Yes, I'm ready. (EXHALES HEAVILY) She found herself in the hands of a celebrated plastic surgeon,... ...and today I'm here to confront the man who watched her die. ...a surgeon who had killed before. There's gonna be nothing between you and him. I'm nervous, but I feel` I feel like` I feel ready, and, um, I'm hoping for something real to happen. Dr Ramirez, I'd like to talk to you about the death of an Australian girl. Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2016 Kia ora, I'm Miriama Kamo. He sailed with Team NZ, playing a pivotal role ` navigator in the Valencia America's Cup challenge. But Kevin Hall had a big secret, one he's sharing with us tonight. For over 20 years, this smart, professional sailor has been wrestling with inner demons, a manic depressive. He calls himself a freak. But he's sick of the stigma and shame. He's going public to show how no one should feel alone. Lisa Davies with Kevin Hall's deeply personal story. It's really scary. Sometimes Kevin Hall is overwhelmed by darkness. Sometimes I'm pretty freaky. Sometimes it's made him dangerous. I nearly killed both of us. The voices in my head ` I call it the director ` were telling me this is the part where we drive off the pier. It was horrible. It was just horrible. OMINOUS MUSIC WAVES SLOSH Salt water courses through Kevin's veins. You're just like, 'Wow, I am` I'm flying.' A professional sailor, competing the world over, and for the best part of a decade, navigator for Team NZ. PETER MONTGOMERY: One of the great races in America's Cup history. It was great for me. Not a lot of room for error; not a lot of room for anything except excellence, and I was really proud and honoured to be a part of it. That would have to be one of the best races I've ever been involved with in my life. I thought the 2007 campaign was` was great. Just came just short, didn't we? Come round to take the penalty! This was the moment the hopes of our nation were dashed by just two seconds. Alinghi have done it. Alinghi have won by two. Far from Valencia, years later, it's still fresh in his mind. The whole nation was holding its breath then. You know that. LAUGHS: We were too. (LAUGHS) Yeah, we were too. So do you replay that ` that two seconds? Every once in a while it comes back. You look for a` shave a second off here, a second off there. And in that version, you win the race. But that's not how it went down. He was at the heart of Team NZ, yet there was something they didn't know about Kevin Hall ` he'd been diagnosed with bipolar at age 20. One of his closest calls was when the voices in his head told him to drive off a wharf. I really thought I was supposed to drive into Boston harbour in the middle of winter. By his side in the car was a young Amanda, his future wife. It could have been disastrous, but at the time, I didn't really have a concept of how dangerous it really was. It's been traumatic for you? Yeah. It's taken a lot of work to` to process that night. Is it hard to live with that? Yeah, it's horrible. There's not too many things I would take back since, as far as I know, nobody's gotten really hurt, but (INHALES) that's certainly one of them. Now 47, Kevin's been locked up in psychiatric wards 11 times. But the effect of his bipolar comes and goes. I prefer to call it what it is to me, which is manic depression. In his 30s, it barely surfaced. Most of my professional America's Cup career was on a medication balance that worked really well for that lifestyle. Being a competitive sportsman kept him on an even keel. Knowing you had to be at the gym every morning has got to be a good thing for your health, for sure. The other rock in his life has been Amanda. I, Amanda, vow this special day to always be your soft place to fall. A 25-year love story. We've had a wonderful life. We've had a lot of love, a lot of joy, a lot of laughter, a lot of travel and adventure. But Amanda, an emergency room doctor at Auckland Hospital, has sometimes doubted their future. There were times when I thought, (SIGHS) you know, 'I don't know if I can do this any more. I don` I just don't know.' Is there an upside to the challenges that he faces, for you? Oh, definitely. I mean, with bipolar, it comes with this beautiful, passionate, artistic, intense nature. It's all him, you know, and you can't have one without the other. They've built a life here. Amanda's from New York City and I'm from near LA, so to me, being in Auckland just feels like a nice village, really. But Kevin's world can quickly descend into chaos. He describes it like the Jim Carrey film The Truman Show. NARRATOR: Watch what happens. I love that movie. Oh, and in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening and goodnight. (CHUCKLES) That movie depicts how your life feels sometimes. Mm-hm. The script has flipped for me, and I think the cameras are on. It's not just one camera, it's all of the cameras. Like I said, I mean, (LAUGHS) if you're gonna have an imagination, you might as well go big, right? 'Truman Show Delusion' is a rare psychosis, and Kevin's been told he's the poster boy for it. It's nice to not feel alone in being a freak. Like, if you can find a couple of other freaks who are a lot like you, you feel a lot better all of a sudden. When he's manic, Kevin believes he's being directed in a movie. Is it weird for you that there are a lot of cameras on you right now? No. I was keen to see how uncomfortable I was going to be, and I'm feeling so relaxed and comfortable that I'm concerned. BOTH LAUGH I feel like I should be a little bit weirded out, but I'm just not. So I don't know what to make of that. But why share all of this now? Why am I talking to you? I think if a few people hear my story, I think it might help them know that nobody's actually alone; we all have big challenges. You see, Kevin's the survivor of another major challenge ` he battled testicular cancer in his early 20s, not once but twice. You know, we kind of rally around cancer, and fix cancer and solve cancer, and that's really good, cos cancer sucks. But he calls cancer 'the easy part'. There's a lot more understanding and support and willingness to talk about it. But with mental illness there's none of that ` it just goes real quiet. There's stigma, there's shame. You know, nobody would ever say to me when I got cancer the second time, 'Why don't you try harder?' But when I have mental health challenges and end up in the hospital, the, kind of, subtext of a lot the discussion is, 'Why don't you do your best and try harder and not have these problems?' There are times of extreme ups, extreme downs, and suicidal thoughts. I've gotten to the point where I've felt like I'm not good enough and I'm dragging everybody around me down and all I'm doing is making it hard for everybody. When you're depressed, that's what's wrong ` your brain's not working quite right. Amanda is so incensed by the stigma against mental illness, she wrote this for a book Kevin's published. READS: 'We laugh and we cry together. We fight and we make up together. 'We argue about using the iPhones too much. We have family movie night on Saturdays together. 'We pick up towels off the floor constantly, and we feed the cats together. 'We walk on the beach together, feeling the same sand beneath our toes, 'and we stand awestruck at the sunrise over the soothing skyline of Rangitoto volcano every morning, 'and we are thankful together.' Together, they've adopted three children. Shoes! OK? Is that right? No. He's a fantastic dad. See you after school, all right? Yeah. Mwah! Have a super day. He's generous with his time and his energy and his emotions. You've got some cool memories here. I got some great memories here. We have some laughs and we have a lot of hugs, and we have some tears too, these days, but, yeah, that's` that's part of it. Some of those tears also for a mate lost to the sea. Four years ago, the thrill of America's Cup racing lured Kevin to the Artemis team. That started out as a dream job. But that high quickly changed. ARCHIVE: The seemingly cursed America's Cup suffers another terrible mishap in the bay, and this time, it's deadly. British sailor Andrew Simpson was killed. It was right there in our contracts that there was a chance of death, so we knew with the new boats that it was possible. So you pulled him from the water? Yeah. That's an experience I don't wish to repeat. It was just tragic. His friend's death took a huge toll. Kevin quit sailing, quit his meds, started drinking. Then another meltdown, this time in front of his kids. The family was on holiday at California's Legoland. I really thought I was supposed to step over the fence and wade into the water. I mean, there I was, just off my rocker, with the whole family there, trying to manage my despair about the accident, and my uncertainty about the future, having resigned. And, um, being a little bit scary in front of the kids. Kevin ended up in a psych ward again. When he's unwell, you know, I've gotta look after myself, and the kids, and my job, and the house, and getting our kids to school, and` you know, and it's tough. Arm in arm, they confront his illness. We're taking it day by day. You know, I just have to do the best that I can to support him and love him and listen. But at the end of the day, he's his own human being. I can't control him. You know, I can't protect him. Quick checks. You got your bailer, got your mast safety on ` we put that on first. Kevin loves Kiwi life. I think NZ is a very very special part of the world. The people here are so genuine. LAUGHTER I mean, what a magnificent landscape. Especially being a sailor ` it's hard to imagine being anywhere else. I feel pretty lucky to have landed on the shore here, yeah. But just months ago his bipolar put him back in hospital. He calls this year the toughest of his life. You have said that at one point you thought you'd never get to 25. Do you think that you will live to see 50? I certainly intend to. I've got a lot to live for and a lot I wanna do, and I think this last couple of years have been as hard as it gets without actually signing off, yeah. I've learned so much, and, um, I feel really strong now. I have a lot to show for these dark times. Incredibly brave. Kevin Hall has published a book of his life's triumphs and challenges. It's called Black Sails, White Rabbits. Now, if you're struggling with depression or know someone who needs help, there are links on our website and Facebook page. Later ` she's fighting for her sister. A cautionary tale about the dangers of travelling overseas for cheaper cosmetic surgery. But next ` the NZ couple who supported NZ artists by buying their work when no one else would. He was a diplomat's diplomat, Tim. A very discreet man. She was our chief archivist. These were two people who just totally believed ` never wavered. It really is unprecedented ` the sort of thing that you'd heard whispers about. It very much did have a mythical status. (BANGS GAVEL) Yours, sir. 1.35 million. APPLAUSE d You're from up north, then. How do you know? From that double-soy latte thing in your hand. It's a bit fancy. CROWD CHEERS, WHISTLE BLOWS EASY-GOING GUITAR MUSIC 2 Hello again. It was a mythical collection, hidden way in a Wellington house. Only those lucky enough to be asked around for dinner got to see this extraordinary art collection, featuring some of the greatest works by some of our greatest artists. Tim and Sherrah Francis passed away early this year, and for the first time ever, the works are up for public view. And Mark Crysell is there as the sale of the Francis collection sets a record. And welcome all to, uh, Art and Object. An art collection often talked about... Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. ...but little seen... Look, I am nervous. and certainly never sold. Yours for $240,000. APPLAUSE INTRIGUING MUSIC For many years the collection of Tim and Sherrah Francis lived on this quiet street,... A thing that you'd heard whispers about. ...high on Wellington's hills,... It very much did have a mythical status. ...covering every spare bit of wall space inside a unremarkable villa. But very few people actually know what's in this house. Until Tim and Sherrah Francis passed away earlier this year. This is an absolute treasure trove. This is a moment of NZ art historical significance that I'm not aware of occurring before and perhaps won't ever occur again. But you would say that; you're the auctioneer. Well... BOTH CHUCKLE It's sort of my job, isn't it? But, you know, it really is amazing. I mean, some of these pictures, you know, we'd wait, you know, five or six years to get one or two pictures of the quality in this collection. But we'll have 30 or 40 on the auction night. It really is unprecedented. These are paintings that changed the way we looked at ourselves. And it's Ben Plumbly's job to get them safely from Wellington to Auckland. What's the insurance on these? Uh, the total insurance just for the artworks comes in about five million. So I'm not driving. Done. The story of Tim and Sherrah Francis is a love affair... for each other and their art. Can you say anything more about, sort of, how` I don't know, what it's done for your relationship? When they first started collecting more than 50 years ago, the artists were often broke outsiders who shocked and challenged us. And the Francises were often the only people who supported them. These were two people who just totally believed, completely believed, never wavered. Art consultant Jim Barr was a close friend of the couple. They were always together. You rarely saw them apart ` always talking to each other, um, obsessive lookers. What was is like coming to an exhibition with Tim and Sherrah? Well, it took a long time, I'll tell you that. They would be, like, this one here, 20 minutes. Easily. Yeah, I mean, they'd stay here for hours, and they'd both hunch over, and they'd be going like this. They were very patient and involved watchers. Sherrah was chief archivist at the National Archives, and Tim ` one of our top diplomats at a difficult time. He was a diplomat's diplomat, Tim ` very discreet man. He was our ambassador in Washington DC when we went nuclear free. That's him with Ronald Reagan and George Bush Senior. A time when lifting our international profile needed a lot of work. People would ask you whether we lived in mud houses and things. I mean, the view of NZ, I mean, they weren't trying to be funny; it's just they didn't really know where we were. So the Francises, along with their three kids, would take parts of their collection with them on postings and hang them in the embassy for visitors to see. And the Francises thought that if they came into the embassy and saw McCahon, they would see we were a sophisticated country, and then the conversations would start from that basis, rather than, you know, 'Do you wear, you know, clothes?' sort of thing. Over the years as the collection grew, so too did its value. One of the closest to their hearts was Colin McCahon's Canoe Tainui. Jim Barr remembers going for dinner the first time and being desperate to catch a glimpse of it. I went to the toilet twice, and I actually` I crept upstairs, cos we'd never been upstairs. And I knew The Canoe Tainui was up there. And I went up, and I was up there` I must've been up there for about 10 minutes. And I came back and everyone had just thought I'd just gone out to the, you know, to the bathroom, for this` for about a quarter of an hour, or something like that. (LAUGHS) It's worth a lot more now than when they bought it for in 1969. They paid $500 for it. What's it worth now? > Uh, we're hoping it'll make somewhere between $1.2 million and $2 million. That will make it the most expensive painting ever sold at auction in NZ. When we come back, the auction. Fair warning. (BANGS GAVEL) 150. Well bought, sir. Congratulations. Lovely painting. And the collector as a hunter and gatherer. It's a, sort of, very manly thing. (LAUGHS) Competing with other men to purchase art works. (LAUGHS) Bring home the bacon. SLOW JAZZ MUSIC An art collection that's rarely been seen and never been for sale. You can see why the Tim and Sherrah Francis auction has created a hubbub among the hoi polloi, stopped them talking about the cost of Auckland real estate... Just marvellous. ...and brought out collectors like Chris Parkin from Wellington. What time is it ` 6.30? Yep. Yep, I'll see you here. Oh, looking forward to it very much. Good, good. I hope you have the finest of wines and foods, I'm sure. Oh, goes without saying, mate. As soon as people like you start RSVP'ing. (LAUGHS) Chris is the man who saved Wellington's Museum Hotel from demolition. Last year he sold it for $28.5 million. How many art works do you have in here? I think it's around 170 now. He doesn't own the building any more, but his flamboyant, eclectic, colourful art collection has remained on the walls. And that's a bit of Chris, that is. This is the most expensive painting you've bought? Yeah, this is, actually. This was just a bit over 200, I think, 200,000. What's it like to spend that much money on a painting? Well, people buy houses for more than that. I mean, it's just like buying a house. A small house. In fact, these days, half a house. If the Francises were deliberate when they collected art, then Chris is more impulsive. Really, anything I like that is decorative uh, and I think will please not only me but other people; that's art. And what seems to have caught Chris's eye is this Shane Cotton work painted for Tim and Sherrah Francis. Even the colouring here ` Harley Davidson. You know, it's, sort of, it's got it all. And this, sort of, gangy-type, you know, patch up there. It's just a very very good painting. Not cheap at an estimated value of $280,000, but he's also keen on this William Dunning work with two left feet. That's expected to go for around $18,000. It's quite cool, though, and very different. Do you have a budget? No. It's more an assessment of whether or not you think it's worth it to you at the time. It's sort of a very manly thing. (LAUGHS) Competing with other men to purchase art works. (LAUGHS) Bring home the bacon, as it were. A painting commissioned by Tim and Sherrah Francis... Chris will need deep pockets when the Francis collection goes under the hammer. Fair warning, ladies and gentlemen, on the Shane Cotton He Pukapuka Tuatahi ` $252,000. Closing. GLASS SHATTERS 252. PEOPLE LAUGH He barely gets a look in for the Shane Cotton work. Too much? But he's in with a shot with William Dunning's Hobson and Busby I'll throw in 20 bucks. Chris is intensely focused. Remember it's estimated value is $18,000. We're up to 34,000. Bid. 35,000. < 35,000. 35,000? No better bid? 35,000. The market has paid double the estimate. Well done, mate. You had me worried for a minute there. (LAUGHS) Thank you kindly. Lot 85 is Richard Killeen's 'Rot'. $36,000. (BANGS GAVEL) Yours, sir. Records are falling. Need to go quickly. 31,000 here. And the star of the show, The Canoe Tainui, is still waiting on the wall. This may well be the most important painting to come on the auction market perhaps even ever. Certainly one of the two or three most important Colin McCahon paintings left in private hands. It is, of course, the magnificent and majestic Canoe Tainui. Colin McCahon was impoverished when he died. The Francises were one of his biggest supporters, but he struggled for public acceptance during his lifetime. One million dollars. One million dollars, ladies and gentleman. Not tonight. You can come back in at 1,150, and he does. A nod, a wink, the wave of a hand ` that's all it takes. Twice at 1.35 million. (BANGS GAVEL) Yours, sir, 1.35 million. Add in GST and auction fees, and a private Kiwi buyer has just paid $1,621,000 for a painting that was originally bought for $500. That makes it, ladies and gentlemen, easiest the highest selling painting at auction in this country in history. The auction has raised more than $7 million for the three Francis children ` another record. $4000 now. On the floor at $4000. I'm still, uh, pinching myself slightly, and, look, it probably won't settle in for a good few days, I think. For more than 50 years, Tim and Sherrah Francis loved these paintings so much they couldn't bear to be parted from them. Tonight they were. I think part of them would probably cringe at the whole thought of it and run a mile, but, you know, deep down, how could you not have some sort of pride in, you know, what you'd achieved and how people had responded to things. To get that response to it, you know, will hopefully encourage a whole nother generation of people to think about putting a serious collection together. So not all of Tim and Sherrah Francis' collection were sold ` the three Francis children are keeping a number of personal works for themselves. All up, the auction reached $7.3 million, including auctioneer's fees and GST. That beats the previous NZ auction record by almost $3 million. Well, up next ` it was a relatively minor cosmetic procedure in a foreign country, but it went fatally wrong for Evita. Her sister, Andrea, set out to uncover the truth, discovering her celebrated surgeon was still operating ` and the shocks didn't stop there. She was always beautiful as a kid, regardless, but then she just became stunning. And with every year, she just became more and more beautiful, more and more beautiful. In the worst cases, what can happen? I think the worst cases, you can die. It's that simple. Um, you're putting your life on the line in order to save the dollars, and, um, it` the risk is, um, huge, and it's not worth it. OK. Dr Ramirez, we'd like to talk to you about the death of an Australian girl. TEARFULLY: He killed my sister. He killed my only` (INHALES SHAKILY) my only sister,... and they want me to just forget it? 4 Welcome back. Evita was 29, a stunning young woman from Queensland who, despite that, felt insecure about her body. So last year, Evita decided to have cosmetic surgery ` a relatively minor procedure. Like many, she went overseas where it was a lot cheaper. But Evita had no idea her foreign doctor had an atrocious record of botched operations and suspicious deaths. Tragically, she'd become his next victim. Denham Hitchcock has our special investigation. And a warning ` this story contains some nudity. OMINOUS MUSIC You ready? Yes, I'm ready. (EXHALES HEAVILY) Now there's gonna be nothing between you and him. I'm nervous, but I feel` I feel like` I feel ready, and, um, I'm hoping for something real to happen. The man she's been waiting a year and a half to confront is Victor Ramirez. He's one of Mexico's most celebrated plastic surgeons, a man with money and influence, a flashy Mercedes-Benz, and a list of victims that should have put him in prison a long time ago. OK. Dr Ramirez, we'd like to talk to you about the death of an Australian girl. She was the closest person I had to me. They grew up in Queensland, two girls soaking up the Gold Coast sun. You must have been a very proud mum. Yes, I was. When Evita was born, Andrea treated like a doll, and she love her. She was always beautiful as a kid, regardless, but then she just became stunning. As they grew up, the inseparable sisters were joined by Sophia, the three of them at Griffith University on the Gold Coast. I immediately was just absolutely amazed by not just her physical beauty but what a beautiful person she was. And she didn't just have the looks. Evita spent three years studying to get a theology degree, then another three for a degree in international business. From the outside, her life seemed flawless. We all have our insecurities ` things about ourselves that we want to change. > You're her sister; you knew her best. Did she feel that there was something about her that was wrong? Did she voice any concerns to you? We did` We joked a lot about wanting Brazilian butts. It wasn't serious. It really wasn't serious. If anywhere is going to give you a complex about body image, it's the Gold Coast. But even here, Evita stood out. Did Evita tell you that she was heading to the United States? Yes. She told me that she go for holiday for three weeks. So as far as the family knew, this was just a regular trip to the US ` a holiday? Yeah. She was gon` She was gonna come back. That was it. The truth was Evita's holiday was a cover story. She was also going for a cosmetic procedure in Mexico. This would be Evita's final destination ` the city of Mexicali, three hours' drive inland from Tijuana. It is a city in the middle of a desert. It's the last place on Earth you'd expect to find a cosmetic surgery capital, but it's in the world's top 10, and it's growing. In Mexico, it's a $4 billion industry, fuelled by foreigners. Lured by the promise of an experienced surgeon at less than half the price, Evita went for an operation called a Brazilian butt lift. It involves taking fat from the midsection using liposuction and moving it to the rear. The surgeon is Dr Victor Ramirez ` on the surface, well regarded, even promoted in a government brochure on medical tourism. The brochures are glossy. The websites, the clinics look professional. It's half the cost. It looks good and it sounds good. Everything sounds good except, um, the little traps. So it's one of those things. Everything goes well ` perfect, everyone's happy. When things go bad ` Russian roulette. Hi, Skye. > Dr Kourosh Tavakoli is the man to see when that luck runs out. He's a plastic surgeon in Sydney, and almost one in every three of his clients is there to fix a botched operation, the majority from overseas. < Show me the double bubble, Skye. Oh wow. Oh, yeah. That's quite significant, yes. And I feel as if it's slipping out underneath. It's called bottoming out. My nipple's pointing out this direction, the right breast. That's three of four hours of reconstruction. Oh my God. It's just such a mess, and if I could go back and have my natural breasts back, I would. In the worst cases, what can happen? I think the worst cases, you can die. The risk is, um, huge, and it's not worth it. SIREN BLARES Evita Sarmonikas also took that risk. She was wheeled into surgery on a Friday morning, March 20th last year. Her sister, Andrea, was back in Australia with their good friend Sophia. Where were you when you got the phone call? (EXHALES) (SNIFFLES) She just said, 'Evita's dead, Andrea.' I said, 'What?! What?'' And I` And I looked at Soph` I` like, Sophie was looking at me, and I said` I just said, 'Come.' I said, 'Just come.' She's like, 'What? What?' Like, I couldn't express. It was like, 'What are you saying? What?' She goes, 'Evita is dead,' just like that. 'No, no, no.' And then the chaos begins. The autopsy was carried out by the police forensic department. Soon afterwards, the family was contacted and told the cause of death was a heart attack during the operation. She was fit. She was young. She was healthy. And back home in Australia, they were instantly suspicious. 'You're gonna send my sister's body back in a coffin without letting me know exactly what went on?' And I was like, 'No, something is wrong.' Andrea boards the next flight to Mexico and starts gathering evidence, insisting on a second, independent autopsy. The results couldn't be more different. I knew. I knew that something was wrong, and then when the forensic came, she goes, 'Andrea, they perforated her lungs five times.' Her lungs were punctured... BOTH: ...five times. She didn't die from a pulmonary embolism; he punctured her lung and she couldn't` the holes` the holes couldn't` couldn't hold her air. Liposuction is performed with a long metal tube called a cannula, removing body fat like a vacuum. The autopsy reveals the cause of death is internal bleeding from consecutive perforations to the right lung, caused by the liposuction cannula ` severe and fatal trauma that was covered up by Ramirez. He` He killed my sister. He killed my only` (INHALES SHAKILY) my only sister,... and they want me to just forget it. I just want you to read the result there. Wow. Amazing. This had to be a very unusual case of lung perforation leading to a haemorrhage. So this is in keeping with a severely unexperienced operator surgeon. How does that happen during a liposuction? > To puncture someone's lung with a cannula, you'd actually have to be in a completely different angle, so the cannula has to be facing down, and you'd have to go through a number of connective tissue and structures to get to the lungs, so I'd say a lot of force. The more you look into his past, the worse the story gets. > (EXHALES) Yes. I have to hear the stories. I have to call the women and hear their tears of how he's deformed their` their bodies. Just how many victims are we talking about, here? Seven women that have reached directly out to me that he has mutilated them. They are now psychologically damaged. Three deaths that we know of direct evidence. Obviously, Evita is one of those. I've spoken to the other two families. Another three that we still don't know names and we still don't know causes, and we need those families to come forward. Which makes six deaths in total. Six deaths. That's horrific. Well, next, Evita and Sophia and their undercover sting. They're out to prove that although Dr Ramirez is facing multiple criminal charges, including homicide, he's still operating. CRIES: Oh, thank you for coming. I can't believe you came. I know. MAN: Recording. The consultation starts like any other ` MAN: Hello. ...forms to fill out, checks to ensure a healthy patient. INDISTINCT CHATTER Then, here he is. (SPEAKS SPANISH) 5 It's incredible to think that with multiple criminal charges, including homicide, he could still be operating. That's what we're here to find out. To help, Evita's best friend, Sophia, has decided to travel from the Gold Coast to Mexico. It's gonna be a really hard thing for me to do, to look this man in the eyes ` this man that killed my friend. UNEASY MUSIC CRIES: Oh, thank you for coming. (SOBS) I can't believe you came. I know. TENSE MUSIC OK. So for consultation, we're gonna have three cameras. So if you wear that, and that's the camera right there. MAN: Recording. There's five microphones in total, which should be able to capture everything that's there. The consultation starts like any other ` MAN: Hello. ...forms to fill out, checks to ensure a healthy patient. INDISTINCT CHATTER Then, here he is. (SPEAKS SPANISH) Hi. Hi. Antonio? MEN SPEAK SPANISH Sophie is asking for the same procedure as Evita. (SPEAKS SPANISH) Ramirez describes how he wants to reshape her body. Then Sophie asks the first important question. Will you be doing the surgery? MEN SPEAK SPANISH Despite the criminal charges, the doctor is still operating. Sophie then asks about the complications. Has that ever happened to anybody that you've operated on before? MEN SPEAK SPANISH Out of all the people that you've operated on, have any people died? MEN SPEAK SPANISH Just one? > Oh, OK. There's no mention of the three, potentially six, deaths he is responsible for. MAN: Here they come. How you doing? > I'm pretty angry. Difficult? > Yeah, really difficult. What did he say? > He said that he's only had one death in the whole time, and that he does` has one patient a day. A surgeon that brings misery and grief to people's lives day in, day out, is not a surgeon, is not a doctor,... is a butcher. In Mexico, the Office of Professions is the equivalent of our Health Department. This is the undersecretary. This man is facing multiple criminal charges, including homicide. Yes. < Yet he is still operating. Why is that? Well, I can tell you that, uh, maybe he is, uh` I don't know. Can your department take his licence away? I can` I can recommend them to do it. Will you do that for me? Sure. I will. Now that I am aware, I can do it, and I have to do it. This is my responsibility. OK. We'll follow up on your action. Thank you very much. OK. Thank you. So far, Ramirez is fighting Andrea at every step. If she can get him to take responsibility, Andrea can return home. It's been a year and a half, and you're gonna be staring him right in the face from very close. Are you ready for that? Yes. Stay behind the sign. Sure. MAN: Paul, has the white Merc arrived yet? RADIO BEEPS (MAN) ON RADIO: There's a white C300 just pulling up now. OK. Dr Ramirez, I'd like to talk to you about the death of an Australian girl, Evita Sarmonikas. Doctor. This is her sister. She's got some questions for you. Andrea? I'm Evita's sister, Doctor. Why aren't you telling the truth? Doctor, (SPEAKS SPANISH). Doctor. Doctor! Doctor. (SPEAKS SPANISH) (SPEAKS SPANISH) Any question` question. Doctor, (SPEAKS SPANISH). TEARFULLY: My sister is dead, and she died in his hands, and he's responsible. Let's go. I'm tired. Andrea has pushed the case against Victor Ramirez all the way to the federal court. In December, he'll face the charge of homicide. Victor Ramirez is in his final days as a surgeon. If I dropped this, I couldn't live with myself. I see all those girls up there, angry that their life was taken away from them at the peak of their desire to` to improve things, and I feel like they're helping me. I feel like they're making it happen. This doctor needs to be stopped. So December, then, should see the end of the doctor's career. Well, that's our show for tonight. Do join us on Facebook and Twitter ` Sunday TVNZ. Thanks for joining us this evening. We'll see you next week. Nga mihi nui, hei kona. Tonight on Sunday ` the America's Cup yachtie and the secret he carried. 1