Shrewsbury therapist guilty of sexual assault during massage

Andrew Sceats, of The Dell, Bicton Heath, was convicted by a jury at Shrewsbury Crown Court after a two-day trial.

During the trial Miss Heidi Kubik, prosecuting, had said the 56-year old woman had been assaulted while undergoing a massage at Sceats' home on December 12, 2013.

She said that during the massage the 55-year-old touched her intimately.

Sceats, who had been a masseur since 1987, and also provided a number of complementary therapies including reiki, reflexology, and ear candling, had denied the charge.

He told the court the woman had been receiving therapy for a hip problem free of charge as she was a "guinea pig" for a new "pain management and lifestyle programme" which he had developed.

But the jury did not believe his explanation and yesterday found him guilty.

The court heard how police found records of internet searches from 2012 for "sexy massage", "nude massage", and "erotic massage", on Sceats' home computer and mobile telephone after his arrest, which he said was part of an ongoing self treatment process.

Asked about the alleged assault Sceats said his clients would usually wear just their underwear and would cover their body with a towel while on the couch.

He told the jury he had been surprised that the woman had taken her bra off in preparation for the massage as this did not normally happen.

Sceats said: "One thing that did surprise me was I saw her bra on the chair." He added: "I have never asked anyone to take their bra off."

However, he said he was not concerned because he did not "expose the body" during the massage by using a towel to cover certain areas.

Sceats said that when he worked on the woman's front he "tucked" the towel into her pants so he would not get any oil on her clothes and to "create a barrier against and unforeseen movement."

Miss Kubik said that while massaging her back Sceats had "lifted" the woman's shoulder and rubbed her breast.

She added: "When she put her hand on her face you leant in and kissed her telling her she had been in a lot of pain and 'it was nice to see her smile'."

Sceats said: "No, nothing happened like that."

The case was adjourned for reports to be prepared and Sceats will be sentenced in the week of July 13. He was granted bail.