Battle of the sex therapists: online threats and £1m loss
Former friends both claim the other tried to ruin their business by misleading clients or defamatory posts
TWO rival sex therapists are embroiled in a bitter legal battle, with one claiming her clients were poached and the other alleging her competitor threatened to hire a hitman and get her legs broken.
Caroline Ley, who describes herself as a “kink-aware” therapist specialising in sex and pornography addiction and sexually compulsive behaviour, is accused of stealing clients from a centre run by her former friend Siobhain Crosbie.
Ms Crosbie, who specialises in sexual trauma, transgender difficulties, sexual dysfunctions and narcisissim, is now suing Ms Ley for more than £1.4million, claiming that is how much she has lost in income. But Ms Ley has hit back, accusing her former friend of libel, harassment and threats of violence.
Ms Ley claims that Ms Crosbie posted defamatory statements about her on Facebook and Twitter, wrongly accusing her of being a criminal fraudster, and failing to tell her professional bodies she had admitted fraud to police.
In documents lodged with the High Court in London, Ms Ley accuses Ms Crosbie of making threatening and abusive statements that left her “deeply distressed”. One, allegedly written by Ms Crosbie in January 2017, stated: “Fingers crossed for me. Otherwise, it’s other avenues like a hitman lol. And yes it’s taken its toll, my patience ran out tonight... I break her legs lol.”
Ms Ley claims she was so frightened that she installed CCTV at her home and business premises. Ms Crosbie strongly denies harassing or threatening Ms Ley or putting her in fear of violence.
The dispute began after Ms Ley, 49, rented a treatment room at Ms Crosbie’s practice APS Psychotherapy and Counselling, in South Woodford, east London.
When she left in 2011, Ms Crosbie, 53, allegedly noticed a downturn in bookings and calls from prospective clients. She claims that in 2016 she discovered a listing for APS in a directory of psychotherapy experts that gave Ms Ley’s phone number instead of her own.
Ms Crosbie claims the directory redirected people to Ms Ley, who “misrepresented her association with her business”, passing it off as being connected with her own.
Ms Crosbie, a psychotherapist with 20 years’ experience, says she had known Ms Ley since 2005 and allowed her to carry out work experience at her practice while she trained.
In a statement she told The Sunday Telegraph: “I realised in 2011 that I had no desire to continue in a personal relationship. In 2016, I felt a validation as to why I had let the relationship go and relieved at understanding why the rental side of my business collapsed as it had left me confused for a long time.” Ms Ley, who is now director of the Cherry Tree Therapy Centre in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, is accused of knowingly misrepresenting her association with APS. Ms Crosbie says this deprived her of £1,422,418.80 in rental income over five years. She is also demanding interest amounting to £456,109.31 and continuing at the rate of £311.76 a day.
Ms Ley denies this and instead accuses Ms Crosbie of falsely claiming she was untrustworthy, criminal, unethical and mentally unstable.
She stated: “We are at an early stage of a potential claim and have not yet gone to court. I have a strong legal defence and counterclaim.”
‘Fingers crossed for me. Otherwise it’s other avenues like a hitman LOL’