The fifth section of the Pontevedra Provincial Court, based in Vigo, will begin to hear evidence from today in the trial against a 39-year-old physiotherapist and osteopath accused of sexually abusing four clients between 2020 and 2021, for which the Prosecutor’s Office requests 13 and a half years in prison.
As stated in the prosecutor’s document, the accused, “taking advantage of the opportunity offered by his professional activity” and “without previously informing the patient to consent to the treatment to be performed,” acted with “the intention of satisfying his libidinous mood.”
Specifically, in August 2020 one of the victims went to the clinic due to back discomfort. When she found herself in her underwear, “at the request of the defendant and without any therapeutic purpose,” he touched her inappropriately, which caused her “great discomfort.”
Also in August, another of the victims went to the clinic for the first time to receive treatment and, while she was in her underwear at the request of the defendant, he again touched her “without therapeutic purpose” and “without informing the procedure” nor asking for consent.
Later, this same client went to the clinic for the second and last time and there the accused again asked her to stay in her underwear and lie down on the stretcher, at which time he touched her, “on at least two occasions.” As a result of these events, the victim suffered a mild psychological injury due to anxiety.
Similar events occurred with another client who went to the defendant’s clinic due to pain in her lower back and legs. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, he also caressed her “without therapeutic purpose”, in addition to using oil on the victim’s body, at which time he “unnecessarily touched her” to remove the oil.
The fourth of the cases occurred at the end of August. The complainant came to the establishment due to pain in her hip and shoulders due to the use of crutches after suffering trauma to her ankle. That same day, “without having informed her of the treatment he was going to perform, he touched her inappropriately.
For the second time, on August 31, as she continued to suffer from pain in her hip and shoulders, she went to the clinic. In this case, he invited her to go up to her private residence, located above the office, “taking advantage of the opportunity to teach the victim rehabilitation exercises.”
Due to all these facts, the Public Ministry requests 13 and a half years in prison for the accused for continued crimes of sexual abuse. It also requests that he be disqualified from holding his position for eight years and more than 10,000 euro in compensation.
