Former massage therapist jailed for assaulting clients
A magistrate rejects an argument that the sexual assaults on two women by the former trainee were accidental and "fleeting" and jails him for breaching their trust at a massage business in Mildura.
Tomey Mathew, a 33-year-old massage therapist in Mildura, north-west Victoria, has been sentenced to five months in prison for sexually touching two female clients during massages. Mathew, who had no qualifications and was learning on the job, was found guilty of two charges of sexually touching the clients during a two-day hearing.
The first victim reported being touched under a towel covering her breasts, while the second victim experienced similar touching during a 30-minute neck massage. Both victims expressed lifelong implications from the incident, including anxiety and feelings of unease. Mathew denied the allegations, arguing that the acts were accidental due to his minimal experience.
However, Magistrate Greg Thomas disagreed, stating that the nature of the touching and the duration could not be explained as an accident. The prosecutor argued that anything less than imprisonment would be manifestly inadequate, citing the breach of trust and lack of remorse as factors warranting imprisonment.
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