Leonard Krekic, a former massage therapist in British Columbia, has been banned from practicing in the province for 25 years.
A disciplinary panel at The College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia (CMTBC) determined that he committed sexual misconduct against six female patients over a course of a decade.
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 panel described this case as “one of the most serious” ever heard by its discipline committee, noting the duration and frequency of the behaviour.
In August, a panel found that Krekic had committed professional misconduct, and breached the College’s bylaws and its code of ethics.
A decision posted by the College on Dec. 21 details disturbing and highly inappropriate behavior allegedly instigated by Krek, dating as far back as 2009 to as recent as 2019 — the year when notably most of the cases took place.
After receiving a reply from Krekic in November, the College cancelled his registration and banned him from applying for reinstatement until Jan. 1, 2048, ordering him to pay a fine of $10,000 and pay costs of $95,952.51.
“This is one of the most serious cases to ever come before the Discipline Committee due to the nature and gravity of multiple instances of misconduct involving many different patients extending over a period of years,” the document stated. It further noted that the “impact on the complainants was profound.”
“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.
