Revealed: Sex pest therapist struck off after grooming vulnerable woman is back treating patients again – this time running a ‘hands on’ massage clinic

A therapist who was portrayed as a sex pest is back treating patients.

Peter Orwell was outed as an osteopath for serious sexual misconduct. He had groomed a vulnerable patient for his own sexual gratification, a panel found.

Now the Mail has discovered he has returned to work as a therapist, offering ‘hands-on treatment’.

When he was sacked in 2015, the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC), the UK regulator for osteopaths, described Mr Orwell as ‘posing an ongoing risk of harm to other patients’.

It struck him off the register, saying there was “a real chance” he would repeat his sexually motivated misconduct.

Now he has a new website with massages. Mr Orwell no longer calls himself an ‘osteopath’, but a ‘musculoskeletal therapist’.

He charges £70 for a one-hour session at his clinic in Plumstead, south London, or at the patient’s home.

Under current UK regulations, massage therapists do not require a license. There is one accredited register where a citizen can look up a masseur.

But because it is voluntary, experts say only a minority have signed up. Mr Orwell, who is in his 50s, does not appear to be a member.

Contacted by the Mail, he declined to comment.

When he was a registered osteopath, he groomed a younger patient to encourage her to feel safe with him – before allowing her to strip completely naked and then touch her intimately as she lay on his treatment table, it emerged from a panel.

Mr Orwell asked her about her sex life and suggested she use sex toys, which the professional conduct committee said was a “reckless” and serious breach of professional standards.

In its 2015 ruling, the GOsC concluded that Mr Orwell had ‘cared for Patient A, a vulnerable patient, for his own sexual gratification’ and had ‘abused his professional position to intimately touch her without protest’.

After contacting The Mail, Mr Orwell changed his website, removing most of the content and replacing it with the words ‘coming soon’ (pictured)

It added: “The committee was satisfied with that [Mr Orwell’s] The cumulative behavior fell seriously short of the standard expected of a registered osteopath.

“The committee was convinced that his behavior was deplorable.”

The committee found that Mr Orwell had committed ‘a serious abuse of his position of trust in relation to a vulnerable patient’ and also ‘posed an ongoing risk of harm to other patients’.

The General Osteopathic Council announced: ‘Mr Orwell can now no longer practice as an osteopath.’

Mr. Orwell has continued to see patients, although he no longer calls himself an osteopath but a “health consultant” or a “therapist.”

He regularly holds musculoskeletal therapy sessions at a clinic in Plumstead.

His website states: ‘I believe in the healing power of hands-on treatment’. Promising “personalized care,” he says, “My philosophy is focused on providing a safe and comfortable environment in which my patients can relax and rejuvenate their mind, body and spirit.”

At-home massages have become increasingly popular, but a recent investigation by BBC Radio File On 4 found that dozens of women have been sexually assaulted by massage therapists in their own homes.

Experts are calling on the government to introduce stricter regulations in a sector where there is little supervision.

The Mail reached Mr Orwell by phone to ask why he was treating patients despite the GOsC’s warning that he was a danger, but he ended the call and did not respond to follow-up messages.

He later changed his website, removing most of the content and replacing it with the words ‘coming soon’.

The General Osteopathy Council said: ‘If someone who has been struck off our register is practicing as another type of unregulated therapist and not as an osteopath, we cannot take any further action at this time.

‘The GOsC strongly urges all patients to only see registered healthcare professionals.

‘For the highest level of protection, choose a practitioner who is regulated.’