Bennie Z. suddenly had a woman with shoulder problems take off her panties, leaving her stark naked on the treatment table in his practice room in Klazienaveen. He allegedly massaged her breast and buttocks.
According to her statement, a woman with pain in her hand was also massaged all over her body, including her breasts and buttocks. She was completely naked and felt very uncomfortable.
Another patient, she stated, felt his erect penis against the top of her head during a massage. She also lay naked on the treatment table.
This became apparent on Monday morning during the first part of the criminal case against the former physiotherapist (55) from Emmer-Compascuum.
The man is suspected of assaulting sixteen female patients. Two women were also reported to have been raped.
The first report submitted to Z. is that of the woman with shoulder complaints. She was in a lot of pain and initially benefited from the treatment. The woman has been to him sixteen times. According to her statement, in retrospect she should have stopped much earlier. Nine times Z. would have gone further than normal treatment. For example, he would have completely unexpectedly pulled down her bra and massaged her breast.
Z. took off her panties
The last time she was in his practice, Z. indicated that he also wanted to massage her buttock muscle. Her panties had to be taken off so that he could reach them more easily. She allegedly asked if the underpants could be left on. The woman lay on her stomach and he said that taking off her panties was better for the treatment because there was no material in between. The woman stated that Z. took off her underwear.
“I did explain it and asked permission first. ‘No’ is also an answer,” the suspect told the judge. During the massage, Z. allegedly spread her buttocks and also sat between her legs. According to the woman’s statement, she thought it was part of it until she talked about it with her doctor and another physiotherapist.
The suspect doesn’t understand it well. “I thought we had a good relationship. I don’t think there was any power relationship. Looking back I think: maybe I could have done it a different way. When I hear people have had difficulty with it.”
“She was in pain. You were her practitioner. That is not an equal relationship,” the judge tells him.
Total robbery
Another patient, a woman with back problems, has a similar story. She also had to take off her panties. She could barely respond. He took off her underwear, she stated. The woman felt completely overwhelmed. During the massage of her buttocks, among other things, Z. allegedly asked whether the woman liked it. The woman states that she suddenly felt something hard at the top of her head. According to her, his erect penis. “That did not happen,” Z. said in court on Monday.
A report from an expert in the field of physiotherapy was also discussed at the hearing. He has studied the files of Z.’s patients. According to the expert, the problems of his clients and his treatments described by Bennie Z. are not in line with what is usual. In none of the cases was it necessary to remove the bra and underwear.
What Z. did was very unusual given the professional code. The suspected physiotherapist: “Sometimes you have to do things a little differently to get results.”
The hearing is still ongoing and will continue on Tuesday.