A Montreal acupuncturist was found guilty Tuesday of sexually assaulting a patient during treatment. Claude Kamga Defo claimed to have massaged the victim around the breasts to “release an energy blockage”. The judge was not convinced by her version.
Owner of the Center Énergie Santé Kamga in the Sud-Ouest borough of Montreal, Claude Kamga Defo practiced as an acupuncturist, but also as a massage therapist at the time of the events. He was a follower of the Taichi-Qigong technique. Note that he is accused of sexual assault in another case and that he faces numerous ethical charges.
In December 2021, the victim visited Claude Kamga Defo for problems with his left shoulder. This is the first time she has consulted for this purpose. The start of treatment proceeds normally. The acupuncturist places needles and cups on the woman’s body.
A little later, the treatment takes a sexual turn. Claude Kamga Defo takes a wet towel and makes circular movements on the patient’s stomach, then on the breasts. The accused focuses on the woman’s nipples and breasts.
“She is afraid, feels a little frozen,” relates judge Dominique B. Joly.
The acupuncturist is absent. When he returns, he asks the victim to get on all fours. She does so, thinking it would help her get up so she doesn’t get dizzy. But the accused stops him and starts massaging his crotch. More specifically, he touches her genitals by applying pressure and making a vibration with his hand. This is how the treatment ends.
During a text exchange with the victim the same day, Claude Kamga Defo sent him six emoticons, including a wink, a face with a heart and another with star eyes.
At trial, Claude Kamga Defo denied touching the woman’s nipples and genitals. He said he had treated the woman for fertility problems. It was in this context that he massaged her near her breasts to “release” her energy. In his eyes, the woman had an energetic “blockage”. He had to put a lot of pressure on his stomach.
Judge Joly accepted the “credible and reliable” testimony of the victim. She did not believe the accused’s version. He was therefore found guilty of sexual assault. He now faces prison.
In June 2023, the disciplinary council of the Order of Acupuncturists of Quebec limited the practice of Claude Kamga Defo for certain treatments.
A few months later, however, the Council refused to temporarily delist it. He faces numerous ethics charges. He is accused, among other things, of “having abused the professional relationship he had with a patient by committing abusive actions of a sexual nature towards her”.