Man accused of sexual assault during massage sent suggestive texts to complainant, trial hears - TheJournal.ie

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A WOMAN WHO accused a fitness expert of sexually assaulting her during a therapeutic massage denied saying she was wild and has told a jury he later texted her saying “testosterone went through the roof”.

The man, in his 30s, who is not being named due to reporting restrictions, has pleaded not guilty to sexual assault at a gym in the midlands on a date in 2021.

The woman, in her 20s, who has back pain due to scoliosis, attended an in-person appointment following an earlier online programme with him about her back problem, diet and exercises.

She has told Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court she had to remove her clothing apart from thongs, and he started making inappropriate comments, asked if she wanted a “happy ending” massage, and touched her breasts and vagina. She testified that as she was lying on a treatment bed, he told her, “You’re bold, you’re bold, I would say you’re wild”, and “I’m getting hard working on you”.

Today, she told the jury that shortly after she left, she received a WhatsApp message with information on exercises, but she did not reply. Questioned further by Ed O’Mahony BL, prosecuting, she said she received another message via Instagram two hours later.

The complainant said it read: “Testosterone went through the roof; I didn’t expect that,” and she took a screenshot, which was tendered to court as an exhibit.

It was day two of the trial before Judge Ronan Munro and a jury of nine men and three women.

Cross-examined by James Dwyer SC, defending, she agreed she had been doing an online training programme about her back problem with the accused for a few weeks before she went to the appointment.

She had rated her discomfort level as six out of ten.

The defence counsel put it to her that during the massage therapy, she had said to him, “I would be wild,” but the witness replied, “I absolutely deny saying that”. She rejected that she turned around to him with her top exposed and that he then responded with “mad thing” or that when she later used an audio-visual headset, she told him that she was slipping into another world.

It was also put to her that when he rubbed her neck, there was an exchange where she told him, “I love when people grab my neck”, and the accused replied, “Would you stop” and she said, “You are the professional here, not me”.


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She denied that and said that he made inappropriate comments, and she told him that he was not being professional.

The complainant did not accept that he told her, “You are making my job hard because of the things you are saying.”

She gave evidence earlier that he told her, “I will lose my job”, but he was self-employed, and counsel asked who would fire him. She replied that she was going to report what he did.

The woman told jurors that she wanted to be clear that she went for help for scoliosis and nothing else and would not be in court more than three years later for any other reason.

“I’m here to make sure what he did to me is not going to happen to any other woman,” she said, adding, “and the things he is saying I said are completely untrue”.

The court has heard she remained at the gym for an hour and a half and spent the last 20 minutes doing exercises with another member of staff who testified that she seemed okay or feeling good.

She spoke to a female worker in the office to pay and went back to the accused to check the price. There was also a conversation then about exercises, and she said he called out, “You’re bold”.

She accepted the massage treatment was painful, and he said sorry like a dentist acknowledging that pain was being caused.

Counsel put it to her that there was a groin massage because it was a pressure point; however, she said the area he touched was not the groin.

Mr Dwyer put it to her that he did not touch her breasts or vagina. She replied that the man rubbed all around her breasts, bar the nipple area with his hands, and that he had touched her vagina.

Rejecting defence suggestions that the accused never sexually assaulted her, she replied, “He knew exactly what he did”.

She told a friend shortly after she left and her sister later that day, who said the complainant seemed “flustered” and needed time to think.

The trial continues tomorrow.