Woman ‘raped by therapist’ who told her his ‘penis absorbs trauma’ awarded £217,000
A WOMAN who said she was raped by a therapist who claimed his penis “absorbs trauma” has been awarded £217,000.
Ella Janneh, 37, sued Michael Lousada over the session which involved ten minutes of “penetration” at his clinic in August 2016.
She launched a civil claim for personal injury and negligence after the CPS said it would not pursue criminal charges.
Yesterday, High Court Judge Mr Justice Jeremy Baker said there was “no doubt” she had a “full-blown dissociative panic attack” during the incident and “entirely lacked capacity” to consent.
He added that she had established her grounds for a claim for “trespass to the person” over the incident in Belsize Park, West London.
Ms Janneh first visited Lousada – who has appeared as a guest on ITV’s This Morning – in 2011 over panic attacks during sex, believed to have stemmed from abuse as a child.
She returned in 2016 for a “body work” session, at which he said his penis was “like a laser beam”.
Lousada’s barrister told the court his work was “legitimate” and that he’d had penile penetration with “30 to 40 clients”.
Ms Janneh, who waived her right to anonymity, dedicated her win to victims “turned away by police, the CPS”.
She added: “Regardless of this verdict, I hope that in coming out publicly that I can encourage other victims to speak their truth no matter what.
“I’m proud of what I have done and I will not stop fighting for justice.”