Former Penticton massage therapist convicted on 12 counts of sexual assault

CONTENT ADVISORY

A former Penticton massage therapist has been convicted of 12 counts of sexual assault that date back more than 30 years.

On May 27, Leonard Krekic was found guilty on 12 of 13 charges of sexual assault at the New Westminster courthouse.

The sexual assaults took place between 1993 and 2017, and all took place in Surrey.

Krekic practiced in Penticton for several years until in 2022 he had his licence suspended for 25 years and was left to pay more than a $100,000 when the College of Massage Therapists of BC found he had committed sexual misconduct on multiple women.

He has been practicing in Penticton and in Surrey when the sexual misconduct took place.

The College found that Krekic sexually touched a female patient in her groin area. He’d also made a patient straddle him while he pushed his groin into them.

The regulator found other patients he touched for a “sexual purpose.”

He told one patient that “God works through him to heal people” before then touching her vagina.

In 2019, a Penticton woman filed a civil lawsuit against Krekic, accusing him of sexual misconduct. The woman continued to trust him and continued to see him because he continually professed his Christian faith, according to the court documents.

The woman had also rented a suite from him, but moved out after he entered her home without her permission on several occasions.

In issuing the 25-year ban, the regulator said Krekic’s conduct was among the most serious it had ever seen, as it involved multiple patients and spanned years.

In 2023, six months after the regulator made its ruling, Krekic was charged with eight counts of sexual assault. That number grew to 13 charges before the trial began.

Krekic will be sentenced at a later date.

NOTE TO READERS: If you find yourself or someone you know in need of support please contact VictimLink BC at 1-800-563-0808. VictimLink BC provides information and referrals to all victims, as well as immediate crisis response to victims of sexual and family violence.