The 57-year-old sex therapist accused of raping a 37-year-old client must pay more than £200,000 in damages after being sued for alleged assault

A woman who claimed she was raped by a TV sex therapist who said his penis was “like a laser beam” has now been awarded more than £200,000 in damages after suing him over alleged assault.

Ella Janneh sued Michael Lousada over allegations that he raped and sexually assaulted her at his clinic in Belsize Park, London, on August 18, 2016.

Lawyers for Ms Janneh, who waived her right to anonymity, said in a civil case in London earlier this year that she suffered a panic attack during the session and “did not consent to the sexual acts”.

Mr Lousada, who appeared as a guest on television show This Morning, denied the allegations and claimed the sexual activity was consensual and part of a “legitimate” therapeutic activity.

Ms Janneh filed a civil suit against Mr Lousada for assault and negligence after the public prosecutor’s office stated that it would not file criminal charges in 2018.

Different standards of proof apply to criminal and civil cases. In criminal prosecutions, the higher standard of proof “beyond a reasonable doubt” is required, while in civil cases, decisions can be made on the basis of “the balance of probabilities”.

The court heard that Ms Janneh only had to prove that it was more likely than not that she had not consented to the sexual act, rather than that Mr Lousada could not reasonably have believed that she had not consented.

In his ruling on Wednesday, Judge Jeremy Baker said: “I am satisfied that the plaintiff became dissociative as a result of the defendant’s instruction to revert to her childhood role as an abused child and the subsequent touching during the third session.”

When the defendant suggested using his penis to cushion the trauma, he had not asked for her consent to penetrate her with his fingers. Therefore, the plaintiff was not in a position to consent to penetration with his penis.

“The plaintiff has thus proven her primary reason for the assault, namely physical assault.”

The judge also ruled that Ms Janneh should be paid at least £217,000 in damages.

Following the verdict, Ms Janneh said in a statement: “I dedicate this to every victim who has been turned away by the police, CPS, their carers or their loved ones.”

“Regardless of this verdict, I hope that by speaking out publicly I can encourage other victims to speak their truth, no matter what. I am proud of what I have done and I will not stop fighting for justice.”

During the trial, it was revealed that Ms Janneh, 37, had first visited Mr Lousada in 2011 and then again in 2012 after suffering panic symptoms during consensual sex, which she believed were due to childhood abuse.

There was no sexual activity at that time.

Nina Ross, Ms Janneh’s lawyer, said she returned in 2016 for a £750 session of “bodywork”, which she said was similar to a physiotherapy session coupled with talk therapy.

In her testimony in court, Ms Janneh said that she “never, ever, ever asked him (Mr Lousada) to penetrate me” during the session.

In court documents, she said Mr Lousada told her his penis was “like a laser beam” and could “burn away trauma” and that he should use his penis to absorb the trauma.

She claimed that the incident caused her to have a panic attack, which consequently left her unable to communicate and “unable to give valid and informed consent.”

In his testimony, Mr. Lousada admitted that penetration had occurred, but said he received “clear verbal consent” for his actions on several occasions.

He also admitted to calling his penis a laser and claimed that Ms Janneh “reported feeling like dark energy was being released.”

Penile penetration lasted about ten minutes and he did not use a condom, the court was told. However, Mr Lousada said Ms Janneh appeared “clear-headed” the entire time and gave her consent on several occasions.

Mr Lousada, who now lives in Germany, said he recorded in his notes after the meeting that he believed Ms Janneh left “with a sense of empowerment and optimism” and was “neither obviously agitated nor angry at the time”.

His lawyer, David Boyle, told the court in a written statement that while Mr Lousada’s activities “may not be consistent with societal norms”, his work was a “legitimate occupation” and involved a “range of activities” including workshops, talk therapy and massage, and that he had performed penile penetrations on “approximately 30 to 40 clients”.

But Judge Jeremy Baker said he had “no doubt” that Ms Janneh was suffering from a “full-blown dissociative panic attack” and that she was “completely incapable” of consenting to what had happened.

He said that while her symptoms “would have been obvious,” Mr Lousada “ignored” them, which was “motivated by the defendant’s confidence in his own ability to heal women.”

The judge continued: “Having listened carefully to the defendant’s testimony in this case, I am satisfied that his confidence in his own abilities was so great that his perception of reality was clouded by his self-esteem.”

He added that it was a “matter which concerned not only the defendant’s perceptions and behaviour during the sessions with the plaintiff, but also the defendant’s recollection of the events, both in his written notes and in his subsequent interviews with the police and also in his statements in this case”.