Osteopath tried in Strasbourg for rape of around twenty patients
A 37-year-old osteopath appeared before the criminal court of Bas-Rhin for rape and sexual assault against at least 22 women. He faces twenty years in prison.
Trial of a Strasbourg osteopath accused of rape by 22 patients
At least 22 women have been registered as civil parties in the case which opened on Monday 1 June at 9 am before the criminal court of Bas-Rhin, according to France Info. Ranging widely in age and profile, they all accuse the same practitioner of having raped or sexually assaulted them during consultations in the Strasbourg conurbation.
Pierre G., 37 years old, is being tried until Friday 12 June for rape and sexual assault "committed by a person abusing the authority conferred upon them by their function". This aggravating circumstance raises the maximum sentence to twenty years imprisonment.
"Therapeutic trust at the heart of the proceedings"
The lawyer for several of the complainants, Sendegul Aras, contacted by France Info, summarises the situation of her clients as follows: "In the hands of someone they believed knew what they were doing, they thought they were safe." She indicates that "therapeutic trust" will be "at the heart of the proceedings", noting that "their vulnerability was exposed, since they were in a clinic".
For his part, the defence contests all the accusations. "He contests all the facts. There is no sexual nature in the acts complained of," declared his lawyer, Yves Sauvayre, who speaks of "professional negligence". The latter also emphasises that his client has a clean criminal record. Pierre G. appears free, but under judicial supervision. Since his being charged four and a half years ago, he has been banned from practising his profession.
The case stemming from an initial complaint in 2018
According to France Info, the case dates back to 2018, when the first complaint was filed. A patient claimed at the time that the osteopath had slipped a hand into her underwear during a session. Questioned by the gendarmerie, Pierre G. maintained that it was a misunderstanding and apologised. The case was closed without further action.
It was in August 2020 that a new complainant, accompanied by a friend who had consulted the same practitioner, filed a report on the public online platform dedicated to sexist and sexual violence. Two months later, two further independent complaints were registered with the gendarmerie. Pierre G. was then taken into custody. He denies having committed "intrusive acts", describing them again as "mistakes".
Charged in October 2021, initially for acts concerning six women, the practitioner sees the number of identified victims quadruple after investigators send a questionnaire to all 470 patients listed in his file. Some report digital rape, others report touching without penetration.
Acts incompatible with regulated osteopathic practice
The complainants consulted Pierre G. for pain in the shoulder, back, jaw, knee or for headaches. According to the accusations, the practitioner nonetheless directed his acts towards his patients' intimate parts.
A decree of March 2007 regulating the practice of osteopathy stipulates that the practitioner must carry out "acts of manipulation and mobilisation that are non-instrumental, direct and indirect, non-forced", in accordance with the recommendations of the High Authority for Health. This same text explicitly prohibits "gynaecological and obstetric manipulations" and "pelvic examinations".
In February, the daily newspaper Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace published the testimony of Eva, a woman in her forties who regularly consulted Pierre G. until 2019. She reports that during one session, the osteopath "placed his hand at the level of her pubis, under her underwear, asking her to place hers above so he could feel what he was doing". According to the newspaper, he then "slowly moved his ungloved hand downwards and inserted his fingers into the patient's vagina, who remained frozen", before exclaiming: "Your mother's soul was trapped in your uterus and it has just come out, I have freed it!"
Public hearing, without closed session
The proceedings are expected to be held in public hearing, without any request for a closed session for the whole of the hearing. The lawyer Sendegul Aras indicates that her clients "wish to testify" before the court "so that full light is shed on the alleged facts and so that other people who might see themselves in certain situations do not hesitate to speak out".
Source: France Info