A Brighton masseur is on trial for sexually assaulting two of his clients – and his partner is joining him in the dock after allegedly threatening them.
Alex Holman, 57, allegedly assaulted the women in February and November 2018 at the Relax Beauty and Massage salon, which was based in London Road and then in nearby Baker Street.
Holman, formerly of Preston Park Avenue, Brighton, is accused of massaging their breasts and groins, leaving them shocked and upset.
He allegedly told the first woman: “You would be surprised as to what goes on within these four walls.”
After police investigated their complaints, he was charged the following year. But a few months later, his partner Gloria Duran, 47. emailed both the women.
The emails, which were almost identical, said: “I like you to know that if the jury finds Alex no guilty then we were told that we can ask for damages and compensation.
“So much hope we can avoid all of this.”
She also sent the witness statement of the second woman to the first woman, saying that it proved the second woman had “only received a good massage by a man”.
The prosecution say the mention of damages was a threat intended to intimidate them as witnesses, and that sending the witness statement to the first woman was intended to pervert the course of justice.
Summing up the case at Lewes Crown Court this morning, Judge Mark van der Zwart said both women had said they had been left confused and scared by the alleged assaults.
The first woman said when Holman had put his hand inside her pants, she had grabbed his wrist and told him to stop, and had felt his erection against her arm through his trousers.
She said she told him: “You need to be very careful when you are touching a woman in your very powerful position.”
She had also told him she had not given him permission to touch her there.
Judge van der Zwart reminded the jury Holman had denied touching her there and said that conversation had not taken place, nor had had he said she would be surprised what went on there, and she had not complained.
The first woman had gone home and told her partner, who had called up the salon and spoken to Holman, who said he couldn’t discuss anything with him because of data protection.
She had not reported it to police, but her sister informed Treatwell, a beauty treatment booking website she had booked the woman’s appointment through.
