Hypnotherapist who made woman engage in sexual act while under his control is jailed
Jimmy Nsubuga
Sat, 1 October 2022 at 10:53 pm
Hypnotherapist Ian Roper, 58, “commanded” his victim to remove her clothing. (swns)
A hypnotherapist who caused a woman to engage in sexual activity while under his control has been jailed.
Ian Roper, 58, “commanded” his victim to remove her clothing while making her think she was sitting on a hot sun bed and rubbing sun cream on her body, Bradford Crown Court heard.
When the woman finally woke up, he then attempted to “put her under again” so she wouldn’t know what had happened.
Roper initially claimed the allegations against him were false but he later pleaded guilty to causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent and possession of five indecent images of children.
Ian Roper was jailed at Bradford Crown Court. (Getty)
Sentencing Roper to 29 months imprisonment on Friday, Recorder David Gordon told Roper his interests had been motivated by “selfish and sexual” desires.
The court heard the woman, who can’t be named for legal reasons, was assaulted during her second hypnosis session with registered therapist Roper.
In the meeting, prosecutor David McGonigal said the defendant had initially “put her under” by touching her shoulder and had then taken her to her “safe place”.
He said the complainant then became aware of the defendant’s voice becoming “sexy” before he started sitting closer to her.
Mr McGonigal told the court: “He said the only thing that mattered was his voice, and she had to listen to his command.
“He told her she was lying on a sun bed getting hotter and needed to rub imaginary sun cream on herself."
Mr McGonigal said Roper took the woman’s bra off and then told her to remove her clothing as she continued to rub herself with the imaginary cream before she woke up.
He said: “She managed to come round and pushed the defendant away.”
But when she stood up to dress, Mr McGonigal said Roper took hold of her and tried to “put her under again”, saying she would not remember what had happened.
After the woman complained to the police, Roper told officers he’d never had sexual liaisons with anyone while under hypnosis.
But during a later police investigation, officers found five indecent images of children and one prohibited image of a child on Roper’s laptop.
Recorder David Gordon jailed him for 25 months for the sexual offence with an additional four months for the indecent images.
The judge also said that Roper, of Calderdale, West Yorkshire, would have to register as a sex offender for the next 10 years and enforced a restraining order against him.
Recorder Gordon further imposed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, which includes a ban on Roper working as a hypnotherapist.
