Therapist who sexually assaulted patient 'as part of treatment' jailed for 11 years

A therapist who claimed that the sexual assaults he inflicted on a patient were part of her treatment has been jailed for 11 years.

Gerald Peck claimed he was an accredited psychotherapist who could perform Bioenergetic Analysis.

But Lewes Crown Court heard that he was not recognised by any umbrella organisation for psychotherapy in the UK.

Peck, 77, told a patient that the sexual acts were for genuine therapeutic reasons and would help to ease the pain she was experiencing.

Believing what he told her, she consented to them, but the prosecution said Peck had "cruelly and intentionally" deceived her.

He told police he had developed "his own niche treatment" but admitted he had allowed himself to get carried away.

He was found guilty of three sexual assaults and two charges of assault by penetration following a trial.

Daniel Harrison, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said consent could not be obtained by deception.

He said: "Gerald Peck lied to the woman repeatedly, saying that the sexual acts were part of the therapy and not for his own sexual gratification, and claiming that they would help to treat the pain she was experiencing.

"Although the woman consented to what happened during the so-called 'therapy' sessions, she was cruelly and intentionally deceived by Peck, who she trusted.

"Peck manipulated her into believing that there was a legitimate therapeutic need for the sexual acts, and she only consented to them on that basis.

"The law makes it clear that consent obtained by deception is not consent, and because the woman was lied to, she did not have the freedom to consent."

In a statement given to the Centre for Women's Justice (CWJ), the victim revealed the case against Peck had originally been closed just three months after it was reported in 2021.

She said: "When I reported the abuse I'd suffered from this man calling himself a therapist to the police, I didn't expect it to take such an immense toll and five years to get him convicted.

"I just wanted him stopped from hurting other women.

"But for years after I reported him, he was allowed to continue practising his idea of 'therapy'.

"I came across some very dedicated and compassionate people working in the police and the CPS, but the system itself is so broken and everyone so overworked that even those who wanted to help couldn't do it without long delays."

She added: "The case was originally closed three months after I reported it, when it was deemed to be just a case of two consenting adults.

"I was devastated, and so worried for his other 'patients'.

"There was no recognition of the power imbalance inherent in a therapy relationship or the immense vulnerability of a client in that situation.

"Without the CWJ getting the case re-opened, he would still be free to deceive and abuse others.

"I'm so grateful to everyone who helped to finally get him stopped, and I am so exhausted."

As well as an 11-year sentence, Peck was given a restraining order, and ordered to pay the victim £9,730 for therapy within 10 months.

Nogah Ofer, a solicitor with the CWJ, called for therapy to be regulated to stop other vulnerable people being exploited.

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She said: "You would not expect to see a medical or care professional who has no qualifications or oversight, and therapy should be no different."

Sussex Police and the CPS have been contacted for comment.

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