Tutor accused of sexual assault during massage - Queensland Times

[massage]

A JURY is deliberating whether a Sunshine Coast tutor and masseur is guilty or not guilty of sexually assaulting a mother at her home.

Maroochydore District Court heard James Douglas Gilbert-Wood was buying a massage table from the mother-of-four at her Alexandra Headland unit on November 16, 2017.

The court heard she told him she was experiencing back pain but was tight on money before he offered to take a look at her back, saying it looked misaligned.

It heard the woman laid on the massage table in her bra, singlet and underwear and Mr Gilbert-Wood began to massage her.

Crown prosecutor Will Slack told the court the woman felt pain as she was "rubbed heavily" before Mr Gilbert-Wood slipped his hand underneath her underwear while she was lying on her back.

Mr Slack said the woman recalled, "(Mr Gilbert-Wood) put his hand down the front, touching my vagina. It was only very brief. I pushed his hand away because I was shocked."

Mr Gilbert-Wood denies this.

The court heard he then said he had previously been asked to give a female client an orgasm.

Mr Slack said the woman believed Mr Gilbert-Wood had an erection at this time.

But Mr Gilbert-Wood told police that wasn't possible as he had erectile dysfunction and he provided a medical report to the court.

He told police in an interview that he had given the woman a card for his tutoring services while he was at her home.

The court heard the woman didn't tell her partner or police of the assault for days.

Barrister Craig Eberhardt said while there was no textbook response to sexual assault, a victim shouldn't have difficulty in telling their partner of this sort of alleged assault.

The jury was asked to consider improbabilities and inconsistencies in the woman's evidence.

They couldn't come to a unanimous verdict by Wednesday evening and will continue deliberating on Thursday.

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