Masseur cleared after easily aroused client misread rub-down
A masseur at one of London’s top hotels accused of biting a guest’s nipple and attempting to perform a sex act on him has been cleared of sexual assault.
Isaac Aguaristi, 43, was said to attacked the man at the five-star Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Knightsbridge, central London.
The hotel guest said his partner had bought him a spa day costing nearly £500 as a birthday present.
Southwark Crown Court heard the alleged victim suffered from Restless Leg Syndrome, also known as Willis-Ekbom, which meant his legs being massaged created a sensation of euphoria.
He said: ‘The sensation I have when someone is treating my legs, it can create a sense of euphoria.
‘Because it’s connected to the sensory nervous system, the feelings of pain and pleasure in that area tend to get confused.
‘It can cause semi-arousal.’
A jury of nine women and three men took just 58 minutes to find Aguaristi not guilty of sexual assault.
He had insisted that as a professional masseur there could be no question of any sexuality in his treatment of the patient.
The victim told jurors: ‘That moment I haven’t stopped thinking about for nine months.’
The complainant had told jurors that Aguaristi had felt him up throughout the massage, repeatedly grazing his genitals.
He also claimed Aguaristi had bitten his nipple during the spa day he had been bought by his partner as a gift, which cost more than £400 each.
But the jury accepted Aguaristi’s account and cleared the masseur of Springfield Close, Finchley, of one count of sexual assault.
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