Sussex 'therapist' jailed for 11 years for deceiving patient into sexual acts
Gerald Peck has been sentenced to 11 years in prison at Lewes Crown Court
A man who falsely claimed that sexual acts were part of legitimate therapy has been sentenced to 11 years in prison at Lewes Crown Court.
Gerald Peck was found guilty of three sexual assaults and two charges of assault by penetration.
Despite claiming to be an accredited psychotherapist specialising in Bioenergetic Analysis, the court heard he was not recognised by any official psychotherapy body in the UK.
Peck admitted during police interviews that he had developed "his own niche treatment" and acknowledged he had become overly involved.
He convinced the patient that the acts were therapeutic and would relieve her pain, misleading her into consenting.
Daniel Harrison, Senior Crown Prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service, highlighted the deception, stating that Peck lied about the sexual acts being part of therapy.
Harrison emphasized that consent obtained through deception is not valid, as the patient had been misled about the necessity of the actions.
Peck was also given a restraining order and must pay the victim £9,730 in compensation for therapy costs within 10 months.