A traditional Chinese medicine practitioner has been sentenced to seven years in prison for raping a patient and sexually assaulting two others at clinics in London.
Hongbin Liu, 53, of Vauxhall Bridge Road in Victoria, pleaded guilty to one count of rape, one count of assault by penetration, and two counts of sexual assault at Wood Green Crown Court on Friday.
The offences took place at two health centres. Liu raped and assaulted a woman in her 40s at the Chinese Traditional Medicine Centre in Haverstock Hill, Camden, in February last year after she agreed to see him as her usual therapist was unavailable. The victim went straight to a police station after the attack.
Two further women reported being sexually assaulted by Liu at the Shu Jun Healthcare Centre on Wells Street, Westminster, in March last year. During one assault, Liu allegedly took a photograph of a victim with his phone, though police were unable to recover the images.
Detective Constable Jane Tunnicliff of the Met's Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command said Liu had betrayed the patient-doctor relationship, adding: 'It is important that each and every one of us feel safe to seek treatment when we are ill or in pain.'
Detective Inspector Lee Davison stated: 'People who abuse their position of trust damage the fabric of our society... I would encourage anyone who has suffered at the hand of another to report the matter to the police in the knowledge that they will be believed and supported.'
