Thames Lido sex assault masseur Toshihide Nukui jailed

Toshihide Nukui only pleaded guilty to the five offences on the second day of his trial at Reading Crown Court

A masseur who felt "emboldened" to carry out increasingly serious sex attacks on clients has been jailed.

Toshihide Nukui sexually assaulted four women at Thames Lido in Reading in 2018 and 2019, despite complaints being raised with its management.

He later assaulted another woman at a Reading therapy centre, where he also worked, in 2019.

At the town's crown court, Judge Kirsty Real jailed Nukui, 49 and from Reading, for five years.

She said some of his victims still suffered "ongoing and significant psychological harm".

Nukui had initially denied four charges of sexual assault and one of assault by penetration, but he pleaded guilty on the second day of his trial in March.

Prosecutor Richard Witcombe told the court his first victim felt "something was awry" within just 15 minutes of an hour-long session in November 2018.

Nukui was jailed for five years at Reading Crown Court

Another assault followed in December 2018 as Nukui, originally from Japan, touched the woman's genitals over her clothing. The victim left the lido "crying with rage", the court heard.

His third victim said she was "touched way too personally" in July 2019, and a fourth victim was sexually assaulted at the lido in September that year.

Nukui attacked his fifth victim at The Therapy Centre a month later.

Mr Witcombe said by that time, the defendant had grown "emboldened by the way he was able to touch his clients".

One of his victims said she had been "consumed" by the assault and although she reported it to the lido management, they believed his denial.

"It was like no one was listening to me," she told the court.

Another victim said they had been left "hyperalert and hypervigilant" after being "violated".

'Why prolong the pain?'

"I can now see his behaviour was about shifting the power to him and making me vulnerable," she said.

Another victim told the court she had taken compassionate leave from work and prepared herself to give evidence at the trial, only for Nukui to then plead guilty.

"Why did he have to prolong the pain and not take responsibility?" she said.

The judge said: "Each of these women were vulnerable once on the massage table.

"Each of these women did not expect to be sexually assaulted. They should have been safe."

She sentenced Nukui to a total of three years and six months for the assault by penetration and a consecutive term of 18 months for the sexual assaults.

He is also barred from working as a massage therapist indefinitely.

Thames Lido and The Therapy Centre have been contacted for comment.