A practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine who raped one of his patients and sexually assaulted two others has been jailed for seven years.
Hongbin Liu, 53, “preyed on the vulnerabilities of his patients” and carried out a string of sex assaults at two health centres in London, police said.
Liu, of Vauxhall Bridge Road in Victoria, pleaded guilty to one count of rape, one count of assault by penetration and two counts of sexual assault, at Wood Green Crown Court on Friday.
He raped and assaulted a woman in her 40s, who cannot be named for legal reasons, at the Chinese Traditional Medicine Centre in Haverstock Hill in Camden, north London.
The woman visited the centre in February last year and agreed to see Liu as her usual therapist was not there.
During the acupuncture and massage consultation, Liu raped and assaulted her.
On leaving the premises the woman went straight to a police station to report the offences.
Liu was arrested, interviewed and provided a prepared statement denying the offences.
He was bailed pending further inquiries.
In March last year, two more women reported they had been sexually assaulted at the Shu Jun Healthcare Centre on Wells Street, Westminster.
One of the victims thought that while giving her a massage, Liu took a picture of her with his phone, but officers were unable to recover the photographs.
Detective Constable Jane Tunnicliff, from the Met’s Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command, said: “This is a man who betrayed the patient-doctor relationship.
“Dr Liu preyed on the vulnerabilities of his patients.
“It is important that each and every one of us feel safe to seek treatment when we are ill or in pain.
“As police officers we strive to make our community safer for everyone – even behind closed doors.”
Detective Inspector Lee Davison, said: “People who abuse their position of trust damage the fabric of our society and the impact of their actions on their victims can be great.
“We will pursue all such offenders to bring them to justice.
“I would encourage anyone who has suffered at the hand of another to report the matter to the police in the knowledge that they will be believed and supported.”
Source: Mirror
