A former Hobart massage therapist will spend eight months behind bars and is likely to have his visa cancelled after a jury found him guilty of indecently assaulting five female clients.
Sahil Sharma, 36, was found guilty of five counts of indecent assault committed while he worked at Jun Lin Spa in Hobart between February and November 2023.
In the Supreme Court in Hobart on Tuesday, Justice Jago sentenced him to 16 months in prison, backdated to September 28, with the final eight months suspended.
Justice Jago said Sharma’s conduct included “unreasonably exposing your clients and touching their breasts and genital areas”.
During the trial, Sharma said the only touching involved appropriate massage techniques. The judge rejected that evidence, saying it “presented to me as contrived”.
The offending came to light after one woman, who had gone for a massage while recovering from abdominal surgery, raised concerns at another Jun Lin location the next day.
Her complaint led to a police investigation, which identified the other women, who had also complained to management.
One of the assaults happened after the police investigation had started.
Justice Jago said the offending was a “terrible breach of trust”.
“People within our community are entitled to attend at massage centres and expect to be safe,” she said.
She said the impacts on victims of crimes like these could be lifelong. She also said deterrence was important, including deterring others in the massage industry from “this type of outrageous conduct”.
Sharma, who now lives in Melbourne, had no relevant prior convictions.
The court heard he received four days of training before he started massaging clients.
Justice Jago said management had told Sharma about complaints against him but he “persevered with it”.
“You have not accepted responsibility for your actions,” she said.
Sharma’s name will be placed on the sex offender register for four years after his release.
The court heard his visa is likely to be cancelled when he is released from custody.
Sharma came to Australia in 2018 with his wife, who held a student visa and was studying for a master’s degree in information technology. The couple had one child at the time and have since had three more.
The court heard his permanent visa had been revoked and he was on a bridging visa while the case was heard.
Justice Jago said Sharma and his wife might need to separate so she could stay in Australia and continue studying.
