Woman awarded £200,000 damages in rape case against therapist

A woman who accused a therapist of raping her during a therapy session has been awarded over £200,000 in damages after winning a civil lawsuit against him. 

Ella Janneh sued Michael Lousada, 57, alleging he raped and sexually assaulted her at his clinic in Belsize Park, London, in August 2016.

During the trial, the High Court heard that Lousada claimed his penis was "like a laser beam" capable of "burning up trauma" during the £750 session. 

Ms. Janneh, who chose to waive her right to anonymity, pursued legal action after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided not to press charges.

The court was informed that Ms. Janneh did not request or consent to the use of penile penetration as part of her therapy. 

Delivering the judgment, Mr. Justice Jeremy Baker described the evidence supporting Ms. Janneh's case as "extremely strong."

Ms. Janneh told the court she sought Mr. Lousada's help after experiencing panic attacks during consensual sex, stemming from childhood abuse. 

She recounted suffering a panic attack during the session, which left her unable to communicate and incapable of giving informed consent. 

She reported the incident to the Metropolitan Police the following day, but the case was dropped in May 2018.

Mr. Lousada, who has appeared on ITV's This Morning, denied the allegations, claiming he repeatedly asked Ms. Janneh if she wanted to continue the session. 

However, Mr. Justice Baker ruled he had "no doubt" that Ms. Janneh experienced a "full-blown dissociative panic attack" and was entirely unable to consent. 

He noted that Mr. Lousada ignored her symptoms, motivated by his confidence in his ability to heal women.

The judge concluded that Mr. Lousada's excessive confidence in his abilities clouded his perception of reality.