A masseur who sexually assaulted a client after he asked her if she would like a “surprise” at the end of a session has been jailed for 2½ years.
Cork Circuit Criminal Court heard that the woman had treated herself to a massage at a “reputable” hotel in the city in July 2024, having celebrated a milestone birthday.
Sgt Brendan McBride said that Lenon De Souza Seara (35), who is a native of Brazil, asked the woman if she would like a surprise towards the end of the massage.
He told Judge Helen Boyle that the 40-year-old woman agreed, as she was under the impression that the surprise might involve additional oils.
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Sgt McBride said that the woman was lying on a table with a towel wrapped around her. She had a pair of disposable underwear on and her face was covered with a small towel.
Sgt McBride said that the woman was left completely stunned when the masseur performed oral sex on her. She jumped from the massage table in shock and quickly left the hotel.
Mr De Souza Seara of Granary Court, North Ring Road, Cork – who has no previous convictions – pleaded guilty to the sexual assault of the woman at the hotel spa where he was employed on July 4th, 2024.
A victim impact statement was previously read in to evidence. In it, the woman said that she felt violated by what had taken place in the hotel spa.
“I was flustered and vulnerable. For context, I was wearing disposable underpants, had a towel over my face and my body was draped with a towel. So effectively I was otherwise completely naked,” she said.
The woman left the spa in the immediate aftermath of the incident. She reported the matter to gardaí the following day. She said that she flip flopped between speaking out about what had occurred and never mentioning it again.
“After all, I was physically unharmed. To speak up catapulted me into a process I didn’t intentionally sign up for,” she said in her statement.
“I feel so naive and stupid. How did I not know how to speak until it was too late? How far would it have gone? I feel like I can’t trust my own observations and missed the danger signs. That makes me question myself as a person,” she added.
In sentencing on Wednesday, Judge Boyle said that she had noted the submissions made by defence barrister Elaine Audley on behalf of her client.
Ms Audley previously said that Mr Souza Seara took full responsibility for his actions, which he said had arisen due to a gross misunderstanding on his part.
Judge Boyle said that she accepted that Mr De Souza Seara was exposed to sexualised behaviour from a young age and had suffered the trauma of having a brother murdered when he was a young child. She also noted that an apology had been made to the woman.
Judge Boyle said that the plea in the case had spared the victim the trauma of having to give evidence whilst also saving the State the cost of a trial.
She praised the victim in the case forher “eloquent” victim impact statement and stated that she had undoubtedly felt violated by what had occurred to her.
Judge Boyle noted that the woman was kind enough to even consider the fact that the masseur had lost his job arising out of the “egregious breach of trust”.
She jailed Mr De Souza Seara for three years, suspending the last six months of the sentence, which was backdated to when the accused entered custody on April 30th last.
