A physiotherapist facing eight charges of sexual assault was back in Chilliwack court Monday morning (Sept. 12) for the start of a voir dire, a hearing in advance of the trial.
Sanjay Amrutkar, 39, listened as Crown applied to have Karen van der Hoop qualified as an expert witness.
A retired physiotherapist with six years experience as an inspector for the College of Physical Therapy of B.C., and seven as examiner for the Canadian Alliance of Physical Therapy Regulators, van der Hoop would have insight on whether Amrutkar crossed professional boundaries with eight complainants.
Details of the complaints, along with the names of the complainants, are covered by a publication ban. What is known is that four months before police issued a statement about two initial charges, Amrutkar entered a voluntary consent agreement for an inquiry by the College of Physical Therapists of British Columbia (CPTBC) a due to a complaint made by a female patient alleging that he “engaged in touching which appeared to be non-therapeutic in nature.”
The alleged offences took place in 2019 at a physio clinic in Chilliwack.
Amrutkar was arrested and made his first court appearance in February 2020. Six more women came forward after a plea from police.
Amrutkar’s registration with the CPTBC is up to date, not due to expire until May 31, 2023, but one condition on his file is that he treat female patients with a chaperone.
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