Filthy Maribyrnong ‘aura’ codger Richard Holmes pleads guilty to sexual assault charges

A sly codger posed as a massage expert who could “read auras” to sexually assault several women including a young yoga teacher has faced the music.

A filthy old codger who masqueraded as a massage teacher who read “auras” and practised tantra in a ruse to sexually assault several Melbourne women has been jailed.

Richard Holmes, 77, was sentenced to four months’ jail and an 18-month community corrections order before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, having pleading guilty to charges of sexual assault and indecent assault.

Holmes targeted young women in public places for several years before the deviant sicko was arrested at his Maribyrnong home in January this year.

Holmes’ modus operandi was to approach women and tell his victims they had nice or good “auras”.

The fiend blurted mumbo jumbo about being a Reiki teacher — a Japanese massage style — who was into tantra and good “energy”.

Holmes attacked a young yoga teacher at her retail store place of work earlier this year.

Holmes claimed he was led to the store because it had “really good energy”.

The fiend told his victim she had green, red and blue aura “radiating from her”.

Holmes, who said people with green auras “tended to be taken advantage of”, told his victim to put her hands up with her palms out.

He walked towards the victim and asked if she felt “pins and needles” in her hands.

“I knew you would feel it quickly,” Holmes said.

Holmes told the victim people with green auras “react this way” because they “don’t like their auras breached”.

Holmes then pushed the conversation towards how he was studying a form of “vaginal massage” known as ‘Yoni’.

Holmes asked the victim if she felt “butterflies” when he mentioned Yoni because butterflies meant “arousal”.

The sicko then explained the victim’s “red aura” was her “sexual energy”.

Holmes gave the victim his name and number and told her he would “love” her to attend his “breath and tantra courses”.

Holmes offered his victim a “brief Reiki practice” at the store to give her a “taste”.

The pair went to the back of the store where Holmes sexually assaulted her.

Holmes pulled the same trickery on another woman in late-2019.

This time Holmes touched his victim’s breast and vagina and brushed his erect penis on her arm.

The serial sicko struck as far back as 2014 when he indecently assaulted an artist at a gallery in Melbourne’s West.

Holmes repeated his Reiki master ruse.

“I bet you want to know how big your aura is,” Holmes said.

The artist doubted Holmes’ claims but went along with his charade to not offend the fiend, the court heard.

Holmes groped the woman.

“I can see you’re uncomfortable,” Holmes said before leaving the gallery.

This victim, who read her victim impact statement to the court, said Holmes was a “selfish reprobate” who left her with a “despicable burden”.

“I felt I owed him reciprocal respect for his radical ideologies concerning concepts like auras and Reiki,” the victim said.

“He took advantage of my open minded courtesy in order to physically violate me and when I refused him he said … ‘I can see that you’re not brave enough’.

“I chastised myself for not screaming at him, for not hitting him … I find myself guarded, paranoid and anxious to be in rooms alone.

“When I got the phone call six-and-a-half years later that (Holmes) struck again I was so overcome …

“It dawned on me that I was unwillingly absorbed into a ritual given the identical nature of his attacks I can see now they were cunningly rehearsed.

“I feel like I can’t forgive myself for being bested by such a well-oiled and calculated assault

“I hope that this sentence serves as a voice not only for my ordeal but for those of so many who have been too afraid or demoralised to come forward …

“It makes me sick to think how many silent others there could have been since that time … I hope the most recent victim will forgive me for not pressing harder.”

The yoga teacher, who had her victim impact statement read to the court, said she felt “violated”.

“I should have seen it coming,” she said.

The court heard Holmes had three relevant convictions.

The prosecution argued he should be handed a jail sentence, saying Holmes specifically chose to offend in situations where the victims couldn’t easily walk away.

Holmes’ lawyer said there wasn’t much meaning left in his client’s life except for playing bowls and spending time with his grandchildren, pointing to Holmes’ declining health.

The lawyer argued Holmes was a low risk of reoffending, pushing for him to stay out of jail.

But Magistrate Peter Reardon said the message needed to be sent to the community that women were not to be treated in such a way.

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