Jail for perverted masseur who fled to Iran

A masseur who sexually assaulted two clients in a beauty salon was locked up for nine months in his absence after he fled to Iran.

Mohammed Ramande, 39, carried out the attacks when he was working at Verity Hair and Beauty in West Hampstead, northwest London.

One woman had used a Groupon voucher for a massage and haircut when Ramande pounced, Blackfriars Crown Court heard.

Ramande rubbed himself against her and removed her knickers during the assault in July 2016.

The masseur molested another customer the next day, and was convicted of two charges of assault by penetration by a jury in his absence after he fled to Iran last August.

Ramande was also accused of sexually assaulting a third woman just over a month earlier on June 24, 2016, but the jury failed to reach a verdict.

Judge Michael Simon said: ‘Mr Ramande was found guilty on two counts of assault by penetration.

‘The assaults took place on the 29th and the 30th of July. Both the complainant went to Verity Hair and Beauty Salon in West Hampstead with vouchers which they got online to lower the cost.

‘They were both extremely vulnerable having only their underwear on beneath a towel. Mr Ramande assaulted both of the women with his fingers.

‘This was not just on one occasion. They have both written statements detailing the psychological and physical harm this has caused them. It has interfered with their work and high levels of study.

‘Their suffering at the hands of Mr Ramande must be dealt with. I am passing a sentence of nine years on each count to be served concurrently.

‘There is no doubt in this case that both the complainants were very vulnerable.’

Describing her ordeal on July 29, 2016, one of the victims said: ‘In the back there was a room with a massage bed. The man who let me in, took me to the back-room and I started to get undressed.

‘He knocked on the door and I told him I was not ready. He knocked again and this time I was ready.

‘I remember thinking he had a camp mannerism and was a metrosexual man, someone who took pride in their appearance. At first, I thought he was the hairdresser.

‘I had a towel from around my shoulders blades to near my knees. He started on my back with some oils. There was no small talk.

‘It was not a good massage. His crotch would brush against me and I remember thinking it was creepy.

‘He then started working my legs. He went all the way up and down. Then he took of my pants and I did not say anything, but I felt really uncomfortable.

‘At one point I just completely froze, and my body was in such shock. It was like my body was playing dead.

‘It was weird, there was thirty to forty minutes of silence and then he put two of his fingers inside me and moved them around.

‘It felt as thought it lasted an age, but I suppose it was only about thirty seconds.

‘I remember my heart pumping so much that I could hear it. I managed to say, “No thank you”.

‘I was shocked by how polite I was. He just took them out and carried on as if nothing had happened.

‘I turned onto my front and he started to rub my breasts and tried to do the same thing again. Again, I said, “No thank you”.

‘When it was over I pictured myself grabbing all my things and running out into the street naked, but I didn’t. I just got dressed, opened the door and B-lined straight for the exit.

‘I remember him looking at me, I think he thought I still wanted a haircut. When I was outside I took two left turns and sat on someone’s garden wall and just cried.

‘Then I phoned Groupon to explain what had happened and their response was scripted. They just said: “We are sorry your experience has not lived up to our high standards.”’

Ramande, of Shalfleet Drive, Ladbroke Court, denied but was convicted of two counts of assault by penetration.

He was sentenced to nine months in prison and was banned from working as a woman’s masseur.

Ramande will remain on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.

The jury failed to reach a verdict on the remaining sexual assault charge.
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