Man testifies therapist sexually assaulted him

A Peterborough man testified that a lot of walls needed to be broken down before he truly understood what happened to him on a massage table in the winter of 2019.

The man, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, testified in the Ontario Court of Justice in Peterborough on Wednesday that he was sexually assaulted and assaulted by Peterborough massage therapist Gerard Rodrigues during a massage at Euphoria Wellness Spa in December 2019.

Rodrigues, charged with sexual assault and assault, pleaded not guilty to the charges at the start of the trial, which is being presided over by Justice Jennifer Broderick.

The man, who was the Crown’s lone witness, testified that the therapist pushed his groin against him.

The man says that was the first thing that made him feel uncomfortable and he remembers being in disbelief.

“It felt intentional,” the man told the court.

“It felt like something that wasn’t supposed to happen.”

Further, the man testified that Rodrigues touched him inappropriately in unwanted areas on two separate occasions.

“I was quite paralyzed,” the man explained, noting he wished he had said something to Rodrigues at the time.

“I was dumbfounded. It didn’t make sense.”

Lastly, the man told the court that Rodrigues physically assaulted him and grabbed his leg and aggressively shoved his knee toward his face.

The man said he felt trapped at that point.

“This guy is physically dominating me,” the man testified, noting that his body was hurting more than it did when he went in.

“He just did whatever he wanted to do.” During cross-examination, Rodrigues’ lawyer questioned the witness on why he used the words “brushed” and “grazed” during his original police statement.

“I didn’t understand what had really happened,” the man responded, noting it took therapy to process what occurred.

“It had not sunk in yet on how invasive this was.”

Following the massage, the court heard that the man reported his experience to the manager of the spa, but it wasn’t until six days later that he reported it to police.

The man said he told some of what happened to people close to him, but that he was immediately emasculated and shamed because men aren’t supposed to talk about being sexually assaulted. He remembers being made to feel like he was a weak man that allowed a man to sexually assault him.

The man said he came forward when a news article was published about Rodrigues being charged in connection with an alleged sexual assault on another client. He told the court at the point he knew he was not alone and that he had been sexually assaulted.

“I was touched in a way completely outside of the boundaries. There is no justification,” he explained.

Rodrigues, who was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault on former clients earlier this year, testified in his own defence, and denied sexually or physically assaulting the man.

He told the court that all the touching and manoeuvring was by consent and happened during the course of a standard massage. During cross-examination, Rodrigues accepted the possibility of accidentally touching the man in unwanted places but was adamant it wasn’t for a sexual purpose.

The trial continued Friday.

IF YOU OR ANYONE YOU KNOW IS IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE, THE KAWARTHA SEXUAL ASSAULT CENTRE RUNS A 24-HOUR CRISIS SUPPORT LINE AT 1-705-741-0260.