A HARLEY Street psychotherapist who specialises in treating sex addiction will stand trial accused of raping a 14-year-old boy at a leisure centre.

Nicholas Gully denies attacking the child in the toilets at the King Alfred Leisure Centre in Hove, on January 29.

The 47-year-old, of Ely Crescent, Rottingdean, who runs therapy and counselling sessions from his Brunswick clinic in Hove as well as in Harley Street, London, was arrested and charged on January 31.

He will continue to be remanded in custody until he is due to appear back in court on July 24 to stand trial for two counts of sexual assault and one of rape.

Police investigating the attack said the child was "severely shocked" by the ordeal and is receiving support from trained professionals.

Gully reportedly has more than 27 years experience in the psychotherapy industry and his website said he is a specialist in sex and love addiction.

He is understood to be well-known in the profession and is said to have held senior positions in some of the leading addiction treatment centres in the country, including the Priory Hospital in London.