Joseph Faralla pleads guilty to sexual assault during massage at the County Court

A sleazy Melbourne masseur sexually assaulted a client after saying he would “work on the vagina” and claimed women’s “issues started” in the pelvic area.

Joseph Faralla pleads guilty to sexual assault at the County Court.

A sleazy Melbourne masseur who sexually assaulted a client after saying he would “work on the vagina” claims he had to “clear emotions” from her pelvic area, where he insisted women’s “issues started.”

Joseph Faralla, of Coburg North, pleaded guilty to sexual assault at the County Court on Monday.

Faralla’s family and wife came in support of him, while the victim’s family filled the remaining seats of the courtroom.

In 2023, a woman booked an appointment for a lower-body massage with Faralla — who previously practised as The Massage Doctor — at his Ferntree Gully clinic.

Before commencing the massage, Faralla told the woman he would be “working on the vagina today”.

During the massage, Faralla told the woman there was “too much work to do”, adding “women’s issues start in the pelvic area”, and that was “where they store their emotions and issues”, telling her “we need to clear the emotions”.

Faralla began massaging her calves and feet before moving to her inner thighs, and then touched her vagina.

The then 58-year-old asked his 27-year-old victim if he could turn off the heater because she was making him “hot and sweaty”.

He also made comments on the woman’s body, saying she “had a good package going down there”, he could tell she “worked out”, and asked her if she was free to come next week.

During the massage, Faralla touched the woman on her vagina again and also pressed down on her breasts.

Later that day the woman told her mother and friends that she was “basically sexually assaulted” by Faralla and was feeling “disgusting”.

A police complaint was made, and Faralla was arrested.

Faralla said all his intentions were good and he “prayed to God” the woman did not think the massage was for any other purpose.

On Monday, Faralla’s defence lawyer Gabrielle Redmond told the court her client’s actions were a “very small part of the man” he was.

She said Faralla’s sexually assaulting the woman while massaging her was “opportunistic” and that he accepted he did the “wrong thing”.

The court heard Faralla told the forensic doctor he was “in the same boat” as his victim and “no one had reached out” to him to ask if “he was OK”.

Ms Redmond accepted that the former masseuse did not have “perfect remorse” and “lacked insight”.

“He seems to have a general understanding of the concept of consent, but what seems to have eluded him is that it has to be specific and ongoing,” she said.

“He needs to have assistance and treatment for (that).”

Prosecutor Pierce Russell said Faralla’s offending was “serious” and was aggravated by the breach of trust.

“The court needs to send a message to the community and medical professionals and therapists in general that this sort of behaviour won’t be tolerated,” he said.

“The victim was in a vulnerable position … the area of the body that was touched (is) the most intimate parts of the female body.”

Mr Russell said Faralla’s actions were premeditated because he began the massage by saying he would “work on the vagina”.

“It was at the forefront of his mind,” he said.

Judge Angela Ellis adjourned the matter for Faralla to be assessed for a community corrections order.

He will be sentenced at a later date.