Ella Janneh wins £217,000 in a civil case against sex therapist Michael Lousada, claiming he raped her during a session. Learn about her fight for justice and the impact of the ruling.
London, UK, Bollywood Fever: Ella Janneh has been awarded more than £217,000 in damages after winning a civil case against her former therapist, Michael Lousada, whom she accused of rape during a session.
Ella Janneh sued investment banker-turned sex therapist Michael Lousada, 57, at London’s High Court, claiming he raped and sexually assaulted her at his clinic in Belsize Park, London, while she was having a panic attack in August 2016.
Ella, 37, sought therapy from Lousada, who charged £750 for a three-hour session, due to her struggles with panic attacks during sex, stemming from childhood sexual abuse. However, instead of receiving help, she claims she was raped.
Following a prolonged battle for justice, a civil trial at the High Court on June 19 resulted in Lousada being ordered to pay over £200,000 in damages. Ella told The Mirror, “The ruling is huge for me because I haven’t had any type of resolution for eight years, and for eight years I have had to fight, which has meant I haven’t been able to heal.”
Ella first sought Lousada’s help in 2011 after reading about his expertise in treating sexual trauma and his efforts to integrate his trademarked Psychosexual Somatics Therapy into the NHS. Suffering in silence as a victim of child sexual abuse, Ella dealt with depression, anxiety, and panic attacks during consensual sex with her partner.
Her initial sessions with Lousada were talk therapy, where she shared her traumatic past. After returning to Sydney in 2013, Ella accessed victim services and received talk therapy to address the effects of her abuse. However, her panic attacks persisted, and by 2016, she had saved enough money to return to London for what she believed would be her final step toward healing.
Ella booked a three-hour session with Lousada on August 18, 2016, hoping to gain insight and exercises for home. She explained her panic attacks linked to penetration. Lousada, familiar with her case, suggested they proceed directly to a body work session.
“He didn’t explain what he wanted to do to me or what it would entail,” Ella said. “He sounded very confident that he could help me, saying that he had done a lot of work on child sexual abuse since then.”
In the session, Lousada reportedly asked Ella to revert to her childhood self, who had been abused. His critical comments and demands led to her having a panic attack. She claims Lousada, visibly aroused, told her, “I think we should use my penis energetically to absorb the trauma. The head of the penis can act like a laser beam and burn up the trauma.” He then sexually assaulted her.
Lousada denied the allegations, claiming the sessions were client-led and that Ella agreed when he informed her of his intentions. However, Ella stated she was having a severe panic attack and was unable to consent.
Following the session, Ella was devastated. “I felt the most humiliated I’ve ever felt in my life because he had taken the abuse that I experienced as a child and used that to exploit me. I had been naive enough to think that this would be the beginning of the rest of my life.”
Ella reported the rape to the Metropolitan Police the next day, but the CPS dropped the case in May 2018. In 2019, she was referred by the Centre for Women’s Justice to Leigh Day law firm to pursue a civil case. “I dedicate this win to every victim who has been turned away by the police and CPS,” Ella said. “For every one of me, there are thousands who do not have any resolution.”
Ella plans to continue her fight for justice, seeking legal advice to challenge the police and CPS’s handling of her case. “I want to fight the shame and stigma attached to those abused as children and rape victims. This shame is not mine; it belongs to my abusers.”
The CPS told The Mirror, “Criminal and civil cases require different standards of proof. In criminal cases, we must prove beyond reasonable doubt that an individual is guilty. Following a careful review of the evidence in this case, we concluded there was not a realistic prospect of conviction, a decision later supported by two independent reviews.”
Ella Janneh’s courageous fight for justice continues to inspire others facing similar battles.
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