A Penticton registered massage therapist, who has been ordered by the College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia (CMTBC) to have a chaperone while working with female patients, has filed a court challenge with the B.C. Supreme Court to have it quashed.
The CMTBC’s April 5 action states it received a complaint from a female patient in February 2019 that alleged Leonard Krekic “engaged in sexual misconduct” during a therapy session.
The 47-year-old massage therapist is accused of allegedly engaging in “non-therapeutic touching of sensitive areas of the patient’s body, inappropriate contact of Mr. Krekic’s body with the patient, and exposure of sensitive areas of the patient’s body,” reads the statement on the college’s website. None of these allegations have been proven, rather they are under investigation.
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In his May 3 court challenge, Krekic denies the misconduct took place and seeks to have the order rescinded. The petition states the complaint is unproven.
Furthermore, the petition states that female patients are 95 per cent of his patients and the order would significantly affect his ability to perform his job and make a living.
“He expects the vast majority of his patients to seek treatment from other RMTs rather than permit him to provide treatment with a chaperone in the room,” the petition reads.
The petition states Krekic works at the Lake City Wellness in Penticton but the clinic confirmed he has not worked there in the past three months. Krekic has been registered with the College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia since 1995.
Both the Gym Eternal and Frequency Healing Centre list Krekic available for appointments on the Reconnect Movement Therapy Inc. website.
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Given the seriousness of the allegations, the college states it can take actions, such as ordering the use of a chaperone, to protect the public during the investigation.
But the petition states mitigating a real risk to the public does not require “a chaperone be present during a treatment of female patients.”
“Conditions that restrict a registrant to only providing massage therapy treatments at a clinic will also mitigate a real risk of harm to the public,” it reads.
In an email, CMTBC registrar and CEO Eric Wredenhagen said the college cannot comment on an active court proceeding but will after all legal processes have been concluded.