A former registered massage therapist in B.C. has been banned from the profession for 25 years.
This week, the College of Massage Therapists of B.C. released its decision regarding Leonard Krekic, who was accused of sexual misconduct between 2009 and 2019.
Krekic had been practicing in Penticton, White Rock and Surrey. The allegations stemmed from six patients, with the regulatory body also fining him $105,000 after a lengthy disciplinary hearing.
The allegations included massaging or touching the pubic area or breasts for a non-therapeutic and/or sexual purpose, placing his hands underneath undergarments and pressing his groin against the patient’s hand or groin.
In August, a panel found that Krekic had committed professional misconduct, breached the College’s bylaws and its code of ethics.
After receiving a reply from Krekic in November, the College cancelled his registration and banned him for applying for reinstatement until Jan. 1, 2048, ordered him to pay a fine of $10,000 and pay costs of $95,952.51.
The College noted that Krekic resigned his registration in October 2020.
“The College submits that the respondent’s core misconduct is the sexualized touching of six of his patients which, constituted a fundamental violation of the patient and massage therapist relationship,” said part of the decision.
“From 2012 to 2019, the respondent repeatedly victimized his patients, sometimes committing similar acts of misconduct with different patients in a matter of days, and once on the same day.”
The College said that the complainants gave compelling evidence about the impact of Krekic’s conduct on them, and that “the nature, frequency, duration, and consequences of the respondent’s misconduct are significant aggravating factors and point to the need for a very significant penalty.”
The College continued, saying “the panel stressed that there is a strong need to express to Mr. Krekic and to other members of the profession that this type of conduct is unacceptable. Specifically, sexual touching of patients will not be tolerated, and where this occurs, registrants of CMTBC will be met with the most serious penalties available.”
The College’s decision is available online.
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