Sentencing hearing begins for former Surrey massage therapist convicted of 12 sexual assaults

The sentencing hearing for Leonard Krekic, a former Surrey massage therapist convicted on multiple counts of sexual assault, began in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster on the morning of Oct. 15. Krekic also has ties to White Rock and Penticton. The proceedings are scheduled for Oct. 15 and 16 before Justice Lance Bernard.

Krekic was found guilty in May of 12 counts of sexual assault. The decision followed a 35-day trial involving incidents alleged to have occurred in or near Surrey between Dec. 30, 1994, and April 25, 2017. Publication bans are in effect for anything that could identify victims or witnesses.

In July 2023, Surrey police issued a news release announcing charges against Krekic, then 51, in connection with allegations of sexual assaults between December 2001 and April 2017. The release sought additional information from the public, described Krekic as a White Rock resident and noted that he had practised at two Penticton clinics in 2018 and 2019. The charges referenced in the release involved eight patients. During the timeframe cited, Krekic was working at a clinic in the 10300-block of 136A Street.

In December 2022, the College of Massage Therapists banned Krekic from the profession for 25 years and ordered him to pay more than $105,000 for workplace sexual misconduct. The disciplinary matter concerned incidents alleged by six female patients to have occurred between 2012 and 2019. The maximum sentence for sexual assault is 10 years in prison.