B.C. massage therapist suspended after patient files sexual misconduct complaint

A registered massage therapist from Penticton, B.C., has been banned from practisingafter a patientaccusedhim of sexual misconduct duringtreatments once while a previouslyimposed chaperone was in the room and of contacting her inappropriately outside of work.

Leonard Krekic'sinterim suspension comes as the provincial regulator works through a series of investigations into his conduct, with complaints from more than half a dozen femalepatients.

The complaint that ultimately sparked the ban, announced Thursday, said Krekic committedsexual misconduct during several treatments over the course of 2019, and contacted the patient off-hoursby phone and text.

"The Inquiry Committee panel found the allegations in this case to be extremely serious," read an onlinenotice from the College of Massage Therapists of B.C. (CMTBC).

"The Inquiry Committee panel was satisfied ... [the patient's]complaint was not manifestly unfounded, unreliable or exaggerated."

While suspended, Krekicis not allowed to practise as a registered massage therapist in B.C. Theallegations have not been proven and they're currently under investigation, but the college said the "extraordinary action" ofsuspension was required in the interim to protect the public.

• Read the notice here

Misconduct occurred over 8 months: complaint

The complaint from the patient saidKrekic engaged in sexual misconduct during treatments over an eight-month period.

Referred to in the notice as "AA," the womansaid the first two incidentshappened onMarch 14 and April 5, 2019.

That same April day, the regulator imposed a limit on Krekic's practice. The college saidKrekic needed to start working only with a chaperone's supervision in wake of another patient's complaint.

That patient had complained Krekicexposed sensitive areas of her body, touched sensitive areas of her body in a non-therapeutic way andcontacted his body to hers in an inappropriate manner during treatment.

Even after the chaperone was imposed, AA toldthe college thatKrekic'salleged behaviour continued.

The Thursday notice said Krekic again engaged in sexual misconduct with achaperone in the room in August.

AA complainedthe same happened again during treatments onOct. 2 and 10,"while a chaperone was present in the treatment room but not paying attention."

The notice saidKrekic'salleged inappropriate behaviour extended outside the treatment room.

AAlived in a rental suite owned byKrekic, according to the college. She later complained hewent into thehome without her knowledge, texted her "excessively" and tried to start a romantic or sexual relationship with her.

After weighing AA's complaint, the college's committee decided "the only measure adequate to sufficiently protect the public in the circumstances of this case is a suspension."

"The panel found there to be a high likelihood that Mr. Krekic will repeat the alleged sexual misconduct, boundary transgressions and unethical conduct," the notice read.

The collegealso noted nine ongoing investigations into Krekic's conduct: one stemming from the complaint from AA, six more from other female patients and two opened on the inquiry committee's own volition.

The latter two investigations pertain to Krekic's insurance maintenance and record-keeping.

Krekicfiled a court challenge on the limits to his practice imposed in April 2019. His petition alleged the college had insufficient evidence of wrongdoing to impose the limitations. He saidthe vast majority of his clients had been women, and the cost of paying for a chaperone would significantly reduce hisincome.