Ottignies healthcare practitioner sentenced to five years' imprisonment for sexual assaults on patients
A healthcare professional practising in Ottignies has been sentenced to five years' imprisonment, of which two years are to be served, for rape and physical assault on eleven of his patients, including minors. The court rejected his complete denials.
Ottignies healthcare practitioner sentenced to five years' imprisonment for sexual assaults on patients
A man practising as a physiotherapist and osteopath in the municipality of Ottignies was sentenced on Thursday to five years' imprisonment, of which two years are to be served, by the correctional court. The alleged offences concern rape and physical assault committed against eleven patients, two of whom were minors at the time of the acts.
The case came to light in June 2023, when a woman decided to bring the matter to the courts. She had attended this medical practice from the age of twelve until her twentieth year, placing complete trust in the practitioner. She eventually came to understand that the gestures made during sessions far exceeded the limits of legitimate professional care. The acts alleged included repeated contact on the chest, rubbing of the genital area, and digital penetration justified by false therapeutic pretexts.
Investigators quickly discovered that this professional had already been the subject of a complaint in 2021. A patient had at that time reported inappropriate behaviour on the internet and had gathered other testimonies. Unfortunately, she had committed to protecting the anonymity of the other young girls and had refused to disclose their details to law enforcement, which led to the case being discontinued without proceedings.
In 2023, police officers returned to this first complainant informing her that the criminal behaviour was continuing. She then agreed to share the confidences she had received online, which allowed investigators to identify eleven victims in total.
The pattern of assaults was virtually identical across all the patients: gradual establishment of trust, the requirement to remove clothing down to underwear regardless of which part of the body was being treated, inappropriate compliments about their appearance, and recurring touching of the breasts and genital areas. Several victims also indicated that the man positioned them in such a way as to cause contact with his genitals during sessions, with some perceiving an erection.
Before the judges, the accused rejected all the accusations. He referred to a conspiracy against him without understanding the reasons for it. He called the complainants liars, maintaining that his manipulations were consistent with standard practice and devoid of any erotic dimension. According to his defence, remarks about the physical appearance of undressed young girls had the sole objective of establishing a relationship of trust and strengthening their self-esteem.
His counsel pleaded for his acquittal on all the charges.
In a decision that was substantially reasoned, the judges rejected the defendant's denials. They particularly emphasised his absolute refusal to question his behaviour, whilst the facts are of exceptional gravity and have caused harm to eleven people.
In addition to the custodial sentence, the probation condition imposed psychiatric support and appropriate care for sexual offenders. The ruling now prohibits the convicted man from treating female patients and deprives him of his civil and political rights for a period of five years.
Source: DHnet