A MEDICAL expert has told a court that practices allegedly performed by an osteopath accused of sexually assaulting patients were "unusual" and "unwise".
Mark Piraino, 40, of Ivydene Close, Redhill, denies five counts of sexual activity with a child, in respect of two boys, and six counts of indecent assault against three male patients.
The Crown allege he deliberately touched their genitals, and unnecessarily requested patients strip completely naked during treatment.
Dr Christopher Bowman, called as an expert witness on osteopathy, told Piraino's trial at Guildford Crown Court on Tuesday that it was not usually necessary to ask patients to be naked.
Prosecuting, Samantha Cohen asked him about the treatment given to one 13-year-old boy who visited Mr Piraino's Westway Clinic in Redhill, complaining of a knee condition.
"The modern boxer short is fairly floppy but you can push it up quite easily so it wouldn't need to be removed," said Dr Bowman. "I can't think I have ever had to treat a patient with this problem and had to remove their underwear."
The court earlier heard the boy claim Mr Piraino asked him about his pubertal progress, whether he had kissed a girl, or become aroused.
"They are not normal things to discuss in somebody with knee pain," said Dr Bowman.
"They are very abnormal."
The boy also claims Mr Piraino told him he needed to be aroused so he could check his prostate muscles.
Dr Bowman was also asked about the treatment given to a 15-year-old boy who came to the Redhill clinic suffering with headaches.
"During video interview, Mr Piraino said that during treatment for headaches he performed treatment on his neck, back and around his genitals," said Miss Cohen.
"Was that in the normal range of treatment for headache?" she asked Dr Bowman.
"To focus around the genitals was unusual but it is possible," he said. "It could be a problem there. You go to conferences and osteopaths will boast they treated a patient's headache by treating their pelvis. You look at the whole body."
He said treating a child in the groin area when they did not have a chaperone in the room was "very, very unwise".
Questioned by defence counsel Selva Ramasamy, Dr Bowman agreed osteopathy was a holistic science. He said that it was possible, in some cases, that patients would be asked to remove underwear, and that working on the groin area to treat back pain was "unusual but possible".
Mr Piraino, a married father-of-two, denies all the charges.
The trial continues.
