A masseur who repeatedly assaulted two women during so-called treatments has been jailed for three years.
52 year old Mal Weeraratne of Hammersmith was found guilty of sexually assaulting the clients at Blackfriars Crown Court.

According to evidence given, one victim's 60 minute massage at his salon actually lasted over two hours and included simulated sex. In his defence Weeraratne claimed massage could make women emotional and the two women had imagined the attacks.

Presiding Judge Gregory Stone told Weeraratne his crimes were made worse because he was in a position of trust.

He said, "You had a responsibility for these two ladies, who were in your care. Once they were lying on your massage table they were defenceless and you were in a position of power. That aggravates the situation. You had not the slightest regard for their privacy, nor for their sense of modesty, nor for the standards which we as a society share as a mark of respect for each other."

Two other women who the defendant had been cleared of assaulting five years previously also gave evidence describing their ordeals.

Following Weeraratne's conviction, the court then heard how he had previously been jailed for two years back in 1996 for living off the earnings of prostitutes.