Bristol masseur jailed for sexually assaulting clients

The 38-year-old was convicted following a trial at Salisbury Crown Court

A masseur has been jailed after sexually assaulting four women while giving them naked massages.

Callum Urquhart, 38, from Bristol, was convicted of six charges of sexual assault following a trial at Salisbury Crown Court.

During sentencing Judge Angela Morris told him: "You exploited the situation for your own sexual gratification."

Urquhart was given a three-year jail term and was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order.

The order bans him from advertising or engaging in paid or unpaid massage services.

'Serious risk'

The judge added: "None of these women had agreed to receive anything apart from a conventional massage and, on each occasion, they were vulnerable and exposed."

She said Urquhart had been found to pose "a serious risk of harm to women by way of inappropriate sexual behaviour towards them".

Rob Welling, prosecuting, said that Urquhart, who was not formally trained, would carry out the massages at the women's homes, as well as at his own, in incidents which dated back to 2018.

He said the victims had been left "ashamed", "confused" and "angry" at the assaults.

'Psychological trauma'

He described how the first victim had booked the massage to be carried out at her home.

In a statement read to the court, the victim said: "This incident has caused me great personal, emotional and psychological trauma."

She added that it had caused her to question her own judgement.

"I still have flashbacks," she said.

Mr Welling said that the defendant "crossed the boundaries" set by the second victim on numerous occasions and he also "crouched in an awkward way" to rub himself against her.

She said in her statement: "I felt embarrassed and ashamed. I told myself I was ok because I hadn't been raped.

"He asked how far up my leg he could go then ignored my instructions."

The third victim said: "I was angry and feeling violated and being taken advantage of."

Mr Welling said the fourth victim "left a very forthright and blunt review for him, telling him what she thought of his professionalism and how the massage had gone".

Urquhart, who had since moved to Arbroath, Scotland, has been banned from offering massage services in the future.