Calgary massage therapist pleads guilty to sexually assaulting 6 female patients
WARNING: This article contains graphic language
On what was supposed to be the first day of his trial, a Calgary massage therapist has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting six women who came to him for treatment.
Brad McLellan, 49, admitted to sexually touching the women during their appointments between September and December 2015.
McLellan originally faced eight charges before the prosecution and defence lawyers arranged a plea deal: four counts of sexual assault involving six victims.
In each case, McLellan would have the woman lay on her back at the end of the massage and then touched her in her vaginal area without consent, according to an agreed statement of facts read aloud in court Monday morning.
In two of the cases, he penetrated the victim with his fingers.
In 2015, McLellan — a registered massage therapist who practised in Calgary for eight years until the charges were laid — was working at two clinics in downtown Calgary: ProActive Health Group and Centennial Wellness.
In each case, McLellan's victims had been referred to him by two chiropractors who worked at ProActive and Centennial Wellness.
The victims had either received treatment from him in the past without incident or they were assaulted during their first visit.
McLellan living in B.C.
In January 2016, a month after Calgary police announced the first round of charges against McLellan, three more women came forward alleging they'd been assaulted during their appointments.
The next month, four more women went to police with similar complaints.
The other four counts of sexual assault were withdrawn by the Crown after the guilty pleas on Monday.
Court of Queen's Bench Janice Ashcroft agreed with prosecutors Sarah Goard-Baker and Donna Spanner as well as defence lawyer Cory Wilson that McLellan could remain on bail until a sentencing hearing later this year.
Before that happens, a psychiatric report must be completed and victim impact statements prepared by the women.
McLellan will remain out on bail living in B.C. with his wife and children until he is sentenced.