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Rape Case: Western Mass Physical Therapist Pleads Not Guilty To Patient's Claims

A former physical therapist in Western Massachusetts accused of raping a former patient in 2012 pleaded not guilty Monday, July 10, to two charges, authorities announced. 

Edward Kostek pleaded not guilty to charges he raped a former patient in 2012. The alleged victim said he digitally penetrated her during a 2012 physical therapy session after he groped her at a previous appointment, the prosecutor said.

Edward Kostek pleaded not guilty to charges he raped a former patient in 2012. The alleged victim said he digitally penetrated her during a 2012 physical therapy session after he groped her at a previous appointment, the prosecutor said.

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Edward Kostek, 42, of South Hadley in Hampshire County, was convicted of three counts of indecent assault and battery in September after a woman said he'd groped her during three physical therapy sessions at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton in 2019, the Northwestern District Attorney's Office said. A judge sentenced him to probation. 

Two women came forward following his conviction to accuse him of sexual assault more than a decade ago, the prosecutor said. The first woman said he had used his fingers to rape her during a physical therapy session in 2012. 

She told police she injured her back after she slipped on ice and went to Kostek for help. She said he asked her to get naked and then touched several parts of her body inappropriately. During her second visit, she alleges Kostek digitally penetrated her, officials said. 

A second woman said Kostek also sexually assaulted her after she came to him to mend an injury. But police said her accusations fell outside the statute of limitations and authorities could not pursue charges in that case. 

Kostek worked for Cooley Dickinson Hospital from 2010 until his conviction last year, officials said. 

A judge released Kostek on his own recognizance Monday following his plea hearing. He cannot have contact with any of the victim or witnesses in the case as a condition of his release. 

Kostek faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of rape, according to the Northwestern DA's Office. 

He will return to court in November. 

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