Melbourne masseur Raed Barakat accused of sexually assaulting client

A masseur who was giving a woman a massage for her lower back pain allegedly “touched her vagina without her consent”.

Melbourne masseur Raed Barakat denies he sexually assaulted the complainant. Picture: Supplied

A Melbourne masseur slapped with an interim ban by the Health Complaints Commissioner has been accused of sexually assaulting one of his clients while giving her a massage.

Raed Barakat, 44, fronted the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday after he was charged with one count of sexual assault last year.

The court heard Mr Barakat attended a Richmond residence on July 11 to perform a massage after a session was booked by the complainant through an online platform.

He set up the massage table and the woman, who cannot be named, laid down and told him her lower back was sore.

The prosecutor told the court Mr Barakat replied to the woman and said her pain may be caused by tight thighs or glutes.

It is then alleged that during the course of the massage he touched her “vaginal lips”.

According to charge sheets, Mr Barakat “intentionally sexually touched (the woman) by touching her vagina without her consent in circumstances where the accused did not reasonably believe (she) consented to the touching”.

But Mr Barakat, from Coburg, denies he sexually assaulted the complainant.

Magistrate Donna Bakos said it was clear there were “disparate” views of what took place during the massage.

She said the case would hinge on “who is to be believed”.

The masseur was in October handed an interim prohibition order by the Health Complaints Commissioner “to avoid a serious risk to the health, safety or welfare of the public”.

The ban prevented Mr Barakat from advertising, offering or providing any “general health services in a clinical or non-clinical capacity relating to massage services”.

But in January the order was revised, with the masseur now allowed to perform “corporate chair massage services” for his employer Corporate Bodies.

All Mr Barakat’s clients must be shown a copy of the order prior to the chair massage and must remain fully clothed throughout.

“The provision of corporate chair massage services is limited to the regions of the head, neck, shoulders, back and arms,” the order reads.

Mr Barakat will return to court on April 13 for a contest mention.