Singapore: Indian physiotherapist sentenced to jail for molesting teenaged girl
An Indian-origin physiotherapist was sentenced to 11 months' jail and three strokes of the cane for molesting a teenage girl patient during her physiotherapy session in Singapore. The 43-year-old owner of The Rehab Physio Practice in Delfi Orchard, Luke Manimaran Degarajoo, had touched the 18-year old inappropriately during a physiotherapy session massage at his clinic about a year ago. He was sentenced on Wednesday.
The incident happened on March 25 last year
The teen victim had turned up at the clinic on March 25 last year seeking treatment for back and hip pain, according to a report. Luke told her the session would last 15 minutes and directed her to a massage bed in a therapy room. Meanwhile, the victim's friend waited outside and the door to the room was left half shut.
Physiotherapist asked girl to remove clothes
Luke told her to remove her top and loosen her shorts. The victim complied as she thought it was part of the treatment. Luke molested her twice after rolling down her underwear and shorts. Deputy Public Prosecutor Gail Wong said, "The victim felt uncomfortable by the contact but did not ask for help as she was unsure if it was part of the treatment."
Luke claimed the victim needed a deep massage
The massage ended when the victim heard Luke speaking to her friend who had glanced into the room and was surprised to find her in the nude. When confronted, Luke claimed the victim needed a deep massage as her injury was "very bad". After the session ended, he gave her a report detailing his assessment of her condition.
Girl lodged a police complaint four hours after the ordeal
She did not complain initially as she was not sure whether the way he touched her was part of the treatment. The teenager told her friend about her ordeal when they left the clinic, before lodging a complaint after four hours. Luke is out on bail after the court granted his request to defer his sentence as he had to settle some personal matters.
