Charles William Davidson jailed for four years for rape and sexual assault of clients

Fraser Coast masseur Charles William Davidson, who raped and sexually assaulted massage clients in Brisbane, Maryborough and Hervey Bay, may have got a thrill out of being so brazen, a judge has said.

Charles William Davidson was jailed for four years, which will be added onto the five and a half-year sentence he received for similar sexual offending against massage clients in 2018.

A masseur who was found guilty of raping, sexually assaulting and indecently treating massage clients, over a 12-year period, has been jailed for four years.

Charles William Davidson’s sentence will be added onto the five and a half-year sentence he received for similar sexual offending against massage clients in 2018.

A jury on Tuesday found Davidson, 71, guilty of seven counts of rape, 30 sexual assault offences and three counts of indecently treating a child, 15, between 2003 and 2015.

The jury was unable to reach a verdict on two sexual assault counts and two others were dropped by the Crown mid-trial.

Brisbane District Court Judge Julie Dick said Davidson was persistent and brazen, which she said might have been part of the thrill for him.

“Unfortunately you have a weakness and that weakness is that you couldn’t resist exploiting once you started the massage therapy,” Judge Dick told him.

Charles William Davidson raped and sexually assaulted massage clients over a 12-year-period.

The offences against 16 clients occurred in Brisbane, Maryborough and Hervey Bay, at Davidson’s then home and in physiotherapy and chiropractic clinics where he worked.

Davidson digitally raped three females, including a girl, 15, while massaging them.

He massaged breasts without permission, sometimes testing for “nipple reaction” by squeezing nipples, and touched vaginal and anal areas of naked or semi-naked clients.

“The complainants, almost to a person, said they froze, or they didn’t understand what was happening,” Judge Dick said.

“Some of them had never had a massage before, some weren’t sure what had happened.”

Judge Dick said it was a significant betrayal of the trust of women who had disrobed to get a remedial massage.

“They are in a vulnerable position, they can’t run out to the waiting room because they’re unrobed,” she said.

Two victims were young people and the offences were committed in his own home, the judge said.

The child, who was almost 16 when she was digitally raped and indecently treated by Davidson, had an extreme reaction, Judge Dick said.

Some of the complainants felt guilty that they did not report the offending at the time.

They also felt they allowed Davidson an opportunity to commit other offences.

“But you were persistent,” Judge Dick told Davidson.

She said he kept offending, even after one victim complained to the practice where he worked and he lost his position there.

“You really damaged your profession,” Judge Dick said.

“You damaged the reputation of other massage therapists who don’t deserve that and you probably affected the practices where you were contracted to.

“You were persistent and brazen ... and I think to myself maybe that’s part of the thrill for you.”

Judge Dick said she took into account the fact that Davidson had spent the last year in prison under difficult conditions because of COVID lockdowns.

She sentenced Davidson to four years’ jail for the seven rape offences and concurrent sentences of three years’ jail for the sexual assaults and 18 months for the indecent treatment of a child offences.

The judge said the four-year jail term would be added onto the five and a half year sentence he has been serving since 2018, for a rape and 18 counts of sexual assault of massage clients.

Those offences were committed against 10 women over 19 months.

Judge Dick extended Davidson’s parole eligibility date for the latest offences to June 2, 2022.