A masseur from Kensworth accused of sexually assaulting two of his female clients has gone on trial at St Albans Crown Court .
As he massaged one woman, Gary Lester, 53, of Clayhall Road, is alleged to have told her he was aroused and that she had a great body.
The Bedfordshire woman, then 27, is said to have returned to her parents’ home and gone to the shower in a distressed state, waking her mother.|
The mother told the court on Monday she walked into the bathroom to find her daughter “scrubbing her body hysterically”.
She added: “There were red marks all over her - her chest, her face, her neck. I was shocked and asked what the matter was. She was very, very distressed. She was rubbing her skin and couldn’t speak properly.”
The mother said she covered her with a towel and gave her a cuddle, taking a few minutes to calm her down. She said: “My daughter said Gary had been very sexual toward her - verbally and physically.Two days later she reported it to the police.
She said she had an appointment with Mr Lester on March 9, 2011. She told her mother he was “a bit strange” and was not sure if she would make another appointment, but she did and went back on June 1, 2011, when the assault is alleged to have taken place.
Mr Lester pleads not guilty to sexually assaulting the woman and to sexually assaulting another woman from Hertfordshire on September 19, 2010.
Earlier in the trial, the Herts woman said she had a deep tissue massage from Mr Lester at her home in December 2009 after he was recommended.
She said: “I was stressed out. I thought a massage would be good to help me relax. I had problems with my neck.”
He took her blood pressure and carried out a consultation. She got onto his mobile couch wearing knickers and with a towel over her.
“It was a full body massage. It was OK,” she said.
The woman said she had no complaint and sent Mr Lester a message saying: “Thanks for a great massage. I had a lovely sleep last night. I will have a massage regularly with you.”
On September 5, 2010 she arranged for a second massage when she claims she was sexually assaulted. She complained to police after hearing that a woman from Beds, who is not known to her, had made a similar allegation.
Prosecutor George Heimler said: “He is a professional masseur. He took advantage of his position to test the boundaries with the two complainants to see if they want to provide sexual favours, to see if he could obtain some form of sexual gratification. He kissed the first victim twice. It was unsought, undesired and unwanted.”
When Mr Lester was questioned by the police he said all the contact was fully consensual and he behaved professionally throughout. He said the Beds woman had been “flirting like crazy” and was coming onto him sexually. He said the Herts woman was the one who spoke about sex and swingers parties.
Case proceeding