SINGAPORE (TIP):  An Indian-origin physiotherapist was sentenced to 11 months’ jail and three strokes of the cane for molesting a 18-year-old patient during treatment.

Luke Manimaran Degarajoo, 43, had touched the teenage girl inappropriately during a physiotherapy session at his clinic about a year ago. He was sentenced on March 21.

The girl had visited Degarajoo at the clinic on March 25 last year seeking treatment for back and hip pain, according to a news report.

Degarajoo then directed her to a massage bed in a therapy room. During the massage, he asked the teenager to remove her top and loosen her shorts.

The victim complied as she thought it was part of the treatment. While massaging her, Degarajoo molested her twice after rolling down her underwear and shorts, the report said.

“The victim felt uncomfortable by the contact but did not shout or ask for help as she was unsure if it was part of the treatment or not,” Deputy Public Prosecutor Gail Wong said.

The massage ended when the victim heard Degarajoo speaking to her friend who had glanced into the room and was surprised to find her nude.

After the session ended, he gave her a report detailing his assessment of her condition. The girl did not complain initially as she thought it was part of the treatment.

But she finally told her friend about her ordeal when they left the clinic at around 7.40 pm (local time) before lodging a police report about four hours later.

Degarajoo is out on SGD 10,000 bail after the court granted his request to defer his sentence as he had to settle some personal matters.

He will surrender himself at the State Courts on April 20 to begin serving his sentence, according to The Straits Times report.