THERAPIST WHO CLAIMED HE COULD HEAL TRAUMA WITH SEX JAILED FOR 11 YEARS
A therapist who claimed to cure birth trauma through methods involving sexual contact and oral sex has received an 11-year prison sentence.Gerald Peck, who maintained online profiles advertising his role as a bodywork psychotherapist, was found guilty of five sexual offenses on 2 February, following charges laid in October 2024.
At Lewes Crown Court on Thursday, Judge Mooney handed down the sentence and stated: “The young woman who came to see you believed you could help her at a particularly difficult time in her life.
She had every reason to believe she could trust you.
“All the information you provided to her led her to believe you were a qualified bioenergetics practitioner.
That was a lie.
“You were banned from practising by the Bioenergetics Institute because in the late 1980s you used your position to sexually abuse women under the guise of therapy.
Since that date you’ve been nothing more than a charlatan and a fraud.” Peck was ordered to pay £9,730 in damages to cover her costs, which included therapy she sought to aid her recovery.
The issue of unregulated therapists abusing clients and continuing practice is increasingly recognised as a serious problem, prompting calls for formal regulation within the profession.
In her statement read aloud during sentencing, the victim explained: “[Peck] caused profound and lasting damage to my mental and physical health, and to every part of my life.
More than five years later, I still experience terrifying flashbacks that feel as though I am back in that room with him.
“I have lived these past five years with constant worry that other women are likely still being harmed by him.” In 2021, she told police that a friend had recommended Peck while she was seeking help for depression and anxiety.
She described how Peck encouraged her to attend multiple sessions weekly, some lasting several hours, which involved removing clothing and skin-to-skin contact, claiming it “soothes nervous systems.” He also told her her “inner baby” needed to suckle, which he linked to kissing.
The sessions reportedly increased in nudity and physical contact over time, with Peck repeatedly penetrating her with a finger to “heal her birth trauma,” and at times, he performed oral sex and tried to persuade her to have sex as a “release of energy.” Police first arrested Peck in February 2021, but the case was dropped two months later following advice from the Crown Prosecution Service that there was insufficient evidence.
In June, the Centre for Women’s Justice requested a review, noting the atypical therapist-client relationship.
By September, police reopened the case and it was referred to the CPS again.
However, by January 2024, with no progress, the victim made a formal complaint, and in August, legal action was taken due to delays breaching her human rights.
She was on the verge of withdrawing support for the case.
The victim told The Guardian she continued pursuing justice in hopes of preventing Peck from manipulating and sexually abusing others, and to support efforts for legislation banning sexual activities between therapists and clients.
She recalled initially believing Peck was registered professionally, only to later discover he had been disbarred previously.
She noted it was easy for him to lie.
Despite efforts to reinvestigate, she felt the process was repeatedly delayed over several years with multiple investigators involved but little progress.
She criticised the failure to recognise the inherent power imbalance in therapy, recounting that early legal assessments dismissed her concerns as consensual “alternative therapy.” She described the lengthy police investigation and trial as almost as traumatic as the abuse itself, expressing uncertainty about recommending others go through it, calling the experience “hellish.” Nogah Ofer of the Centre for Women’s Justice called the difficulty in bringing the case to court “completely outrageous,” emphasising the danger posed by unregulated therapists who falsely claim that sexual contact benefits clients.
She highlighted the greater need for regulation, comparing it to the standards expected in conventional medicine.
Leigh Day solicitor Catriona Rubens shared that since working with survivor Ella Janneh who publicly campaigned after her therapist was convicted of rape she receives about three reports of sexual abuse by therapists each month.
However, she pointed out that limited legal options exist because police often misunderstand the power dynamics in therapy and therapy bodies lack mandatory regulation.
She called on professional organisations to support regulation initiatives.
Sojan Joseph, chair of the parliamentary group on mental health, expressed full support for government measures aimed at tightening safeguards against such harmful practices.
