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

Leonard Krekic, a former massage therapist from White Rock, B.C., is seen in an RCMP handout image.

A former massage therapist from B.C.’s Lower Mainland who was accused of sexually assaulting multiple patients has been found guilty, according to prosecutors.

White Rock resident Leonard Krekic was convicted Wednesday on 12 counts of sexual assault, and acquitted on one additional count of the same.

The B.C. Prosecution Service said the offences spanned from 1993 to 2017, and all took place in Surrey.

The RCMP previously said members began investigating Krekic in 2021 after receiving a number of reports of people being assaulted during massage treatments. The force announced the first eight criminal charges against him in 2023.

The College of Massage Therapists of B.C. cancelled Krekic’s registration after conducting its own investigation, describing his case as “one of the most serious” ever heard by its disciplinary committee.

“Sexual touching of patients will not be tolerated, and where this occurs, registrants of CMTBC will be met with the most serious penalties available,” the regulator said in a public notice.

The CMTBC—which was among the regulators that have since been replaced by the broader College of Complementary Health Professionals of B.C.—also fined Krekic $10,000 and ordered him to pay $95,952 in costs and disbursements.

He’s banned from reapplying for registration until 2048. Even after that date, the regulator noted that a registration committee would have the power to decide whether or not to approve his application.

Krekic’s next court appearance is scheduled for June 4, for the purposes of setting a sentencing date.