A naturopath who had run an herbalist shop for 20 years in the 9th arrondissement was tried yesterday at the Lyon Criminal Court, for sexual assault between 2014 and 2017. The judgment followed the prosecution which had required three years of imprisonment, including one year suspended and probation, for sexual assault committed with “abuse of authority”, in connection with his practice of “therapeutic massages”.
According to the accounts of the nine victims, the man engaged in acts of a sexual nature under cover of lymphatic drainage. At the hearing, the defendant, aged 71, accused the victims of “lies”. “There was no ulterior motive in my head”, he assured, describing with large gestures the virtues of drainage.
Psychologically vulnerable victims
“The number of victims and their denials are cause for concern”, underlined the prosecutor, Céline Cuny. Several young women described similar scenes to the police: hands on breasts, near sex, scientific speech interspersed with compliments, attractive prices to encourage new meetings.
Coming to seek help for sleep or personal balance problems, the naturopath offered them massages and isolated them in a room lined with his diplomas obtained in Turkey, then asked them to undress. “We do not dare to move, we are paralyzed”, described a victim at the bar.
A suspect already indicted for rape
The defendant’s lawyer, Jean-Jacques Rinck, put forward “very many testimonies” and “petitions” recognizing his qualities. He also denounced “the media lynching of people suspected of sexual assault”.
The defendant appeared in custody, charged with rape as part of another pending judicial investigation. The court issued a committal warrant and a ban on all personal care activity for five years.