Therapist Loses Civil Case After Client’s Allegation of Rape During Session

A therapist has been ordered to pay over £200,000 in damages to a client following allegations of rape during a therapy session. Ella Janneh, 37, accused Michael Lousada, 57, of inappropriate sexual conduct at his Belsize Park clinic in London. The civil case, adjudicated by the High Court, centered on a session where Ms. Janneh claimed Mr. Lousada compared his genitals to a ‘laser beam’ capable of ‘burning up trauma.’

During the court proceedings, Ms. Janneh’s legal representative, Nina Ross, argued that her client did not consent to the actions taken by Mr. Lousada. On the other hand, David Boyle, Mr. Lousada’s counsel, asserted that the therapist had obtained clear verbal consent for his actions, including the alleged use of penile penetration.

It emerged in court that the incident occured during a therapy session costing £750, which Ms. Janneh believed to be akin to a physiotherapy session paired with counseling. Ms. Janneh expressed that she was incapacitated due to a panic attack during the alleged misconduct and thus was unable to provide informed consent.

The judge presiding over the case, Justice Jeremy Baker, sided with Ms. Janneh, ruling that she had experienced a dissociative state and lacked capacity to consent. Notably, it was highlighted that Mr. Lousada overlooked evident signs of distress during the session, purportedly driven by his own confidence in his therapeutic abilities.

Following the civil verdict, the Crown Prosecution Service‘s decision not to pursue criminal charges against Mr. Lousada back in 2018 was scrutinized. The Metropolitan Police, after being notified of the incident in 2016, closed the case in 2018 as well. Presently, there is no active police investigation on this matter.

This case has stirred discussions around the handling of sexual assault complaints and the standards of care expected within therapeutic practices. Ms. Janneh, now residing in Melbourne, Australia, has expressed relief at achieving accountability through the civil action, having felt let down by the authorities’ prior responses.