Former massage therapist facing five years in prison - The Brandon Sun

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FILE

The Brandon courthouse.

» EDITOR’S NOTE: This story contains graphic elements that may be upsetting to some readers.


A former Brandon massage therapist who pleaded guilty to 11 sexual assault charges is facing five years in prison for the crimes in a series of incidents a Crown attorney said violated the survivors’ trust.

Michael Petrowski previously pleaded guilty in July 2021 in Brandon provincial court.

"This case is about trust," Crown attorney Andrew Sieklicki said.

"Trust in a professional who abused their role as a massage therapist and sexually abused multiple women, his clients, for his own pleasure," he said, adding the survivors endured inappropriate touching.

"These victims were ordinary people who were simply seeking out a massage to alleviate their suffering, but instead were exposed to Mr. Petrowski and his inappropriate desires."

More than a dozen people sat in the courtroom during the sentencing hearing. Petrowski sat at the front of the courtroom, dressed in a black sweater and grey pants.

Petrowski was arrested on Nov. 29, 2019, after two women told police he made inappropriate sexual comments while touching them in a sexual manner. The police investigation was staggered, and survivors came forward at different times.

After the first reports, six more women made allegations of similar incidents between February and August 2019, the Sun reported in January 2020.

Additional women later came forward and by February 2020, there were more than a dozen complainants.

The complainants came forward with their reports independently from one another.

The identities of the complainants in the case are covered by a publication ban, along with any details that could identify them.

All the women had their breasts fondled and their buttocks touched, the Crown said. Some had their groins touched and Petrowski made sexual comments during the situations. There was one instance of digital penetration.

Back then, Petrowski had completed time in college as a massage therapy student but never actually completed the program.

"Others in the community need to understand that this behaviour is completely unacceptable but especially unacceptable for an individual who puts themselves into a situation where people are putting their bodies into a vulnerable situation seeking therapy from the massage therapist," Sieklicki said.

Two people read victim impact statements in court and two more were submitted to the Crown. One woman said she was optimistic, charismatic and compassionate before the assault, but was left with a "burden beyond comprehension."

"Michael Petrowski stripped me of my dignity, humiliated me during a time of professional vulnerability and impacted my feelings of self-worth," she told the court.

The woman said she deals with mental health issues and has struggled since the event.

Another woman who spoke in court said the incident caused her emotional duress and left her feeling helpless and alone.

"I will never be able to have a male give me a massage again due to the high anxiety involved. This assault made me feel ashamed of myself for letting it occur," she said. "I’m really looking forward to him no longer being on the street."

Petrowski sat looking forward while the victims read their statements.

Sieklicki recommended a total sentence of five years in prison for the crimes.

Defence lawyer Saul Simmonds said Petrowski is remorseful and has a great deal of empathy for the survivors.

"Mr. Petrowski has internalized it, he is shamed by his own behaviour, he is humiliated by what he has done … and I think it’s important for the court to take that into account."

Simmonds recommended a sentence of between two and three years in prison for the crimes, followed by a long term of probation. He said Petrowski knows he will spend time in jail and is the "author of his own misfortune."

Petrowski understands his behaviour was wrong, Simmonds said, and takes full responsibility. He also noted the guilty plea saved the survivors from having to testify in a trial.

"I cannot say I’m sorry enough," Petrowski told the court from the accused’s box in the centre of the courtroom.

"I apologize individually and collectively to the patients I’ve hurt," he said, adding he knows he abused the trust placed in him.

Judge Patrick Sullivan reserved his decision in the case. Petrowski is scheduled to be sentenced in May.

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