Scotland Yard is considering reopening a criminal investigation into the television sex therapist Michael Lousada, after a civil court found in favour of a former client who alleged he had raped her during a session.
Ella Janneh was awarded £217,000 in damages, with further damages to be decided, at the high court in London on Wednesday, after Mr Justice Baker found that the alleged rape had caused her complex post-traumatic stress disorder.
She brought the civil case after a report made to police the day after the incident did not lead to a prosecution, and her two appeals against the Crown Prosecution Service’s decision were dismissed.
The Metropolitan police said officers would meet Janneh, review the information they hold on file and consider any new detail raised in the civil case.
Civil and criminal cases are decided on different standards of proof. Criminal cases require a standard of “beyond reasonable doubt”, while civil cases can be ruled upon on the “balance of probabilities”.
Janneh, who waived her right to anonymity, told the court she had sought help from Lousada for panic attacks that she had during consensual sex, as a result of unresolved trauma stemming from childhood sexual abuse.
After hearing the evidence, the judge found that Lousada had instructed Ella to regress into her childhood self as an abused child, and penetrated her with his fingers and penis, which caused her to have a panic attack during the session.
The judge found that Janneh lacked capacity to consent, and rejected Lousada’s claim that his use of penetration was a reasonable treatment method for her condition.
Lousada, who described himself as a “self-styled psychosexual Somatics practitioner”, had enjoyed widespread media coverage and had appeared on the ITV show This Morning.
The Met commander Kevin Southworth, who leads on public protection, said: “We strive to deliver the best service we can and take allegations of rape and sexual assault seriously, so it’s concerning whenever we hear that someone feels they have been let down.
“While there is currently no active police investigation, in light of the outcome of the civil proceedings we are reviewing the information we hold and will also consider any new detail that has emerged during the civil case.
“Officers will be meeting with Ms Janneh to discuss the concerns she has raised, to establish whether she has any new and relevant information that should be considered and to see how we can support her.”
Janneh’s solicitor, Catriona Rubens from Leigh Day, said Janneh was “surprised” by the Met’s statement, adding: “Ms Janneh has not agreed or arranged any meeting with Metropolitan Police officers.
“Ms Janneh was surprised to be informed of the Met’s statement on this matter by the media, particularly after going through a lengthy and highly contested civil trial. Given that Ms Janneh is still involved in finalising legal matters to do with the civil claim, my client will not be making any further comment at this time.”
In a statement, Lousada said: “I have told both the police and the court what happened that day, and you will appreciate that I am very disappointed that my evidence has been rejected.
“I no longer engage in this sort of work and have not done so since the incident in question. I was seeking to help Ms Janneh and never intended to cause her any harm. I have always regretted the outcome and the effects on her, and I wish her well for the future.”
A CPS spokesperson said: “In criminal cases we must prove beyond reasonable doubt that an individual is guilty and, following a careful review of the evidence in this case, we concluded there was not a realistic prospect of conviction – a decision later supported by two independent reviews.
“We are continuing to improve how every rape case is handled and our suspect-centred approach means we always focus on the behaviour and actions of the suspect, and not the victim.”
Source: theguardian.com
