Former B.C. massage therapist convicted on 12 sexual assault counts

Lucas Tremblay

5/29/20261 min read

A former British Columbia massage therapist has been convicted on 12 counts of sexual assault following a long-running case involving allegations from multiple patients in Surrey and the Okanagan. Leonard Krekic, a White Rock resident, was originally charged in 2023 after a Surrey RCMP investigation linked him to alleged assaults involving at least eight victims between 2001 and 2017. Police said at the time that he had worked at a clinic on 136A Street in Surrey and had also practised at two clinics in Penticton in 2018 and 2019.

A B.C. Supreme Court judge in New Westminster has now found Krekic guilty on 12 of the 13 counts he faced. Reporting on the case has indicated he is scheduled to return to court on June 4 to set a date for sentencing.

Criminal case followed years of complaints

The criminal case followed earlier complaints and professional discipline proceedings involving Krekic’s conduct as a massage therapist. Surrey RCMP said their investigation began after a report received in November 2021 and later expanded as additional complainants were identified. The alleged offences spanned more than 15 years.

Regulator had already imposed 25-year ban

Before the criminal convictions, B.C.’s massage therapy regulator had already taken severe disciplinary action against Krekic. A 2022 disciplinary decision by the former College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia found serious misconduct and imposed a 25-year ban on his practice, along with substantial financial penalties. A later college disciplinary decision explicitly referred to the Krekic matter as precedent in discussing sexual misconduct by registrants.

The regulator’s published disciplinary materials say Krekic resigned his registration in 2020, but the seriousness of the allegations and findings continued to shape the college’s treatment of later cases involving massage therapists and patient sexual misconduct.

Sentencing still to come

With the convictions now entered on 12 counts, the case is moving into its sentencing phase. The upcoming court appearance is expected to set the timetable for that next stage.

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