Court hears therapist deny sexual assaults

Sep 6 2008 by Neil Mckay, The Journal

AREFELXOLOGIST has denied passionately kissing a woman teacher while her mother sat in the waiting room next door.

Stuart Hill, 57, also denied attempting to give the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, an orgasm during the same session.

Hill, of Red Courts, Brandon, near Durham City, is appearing at Durham Crown Court where he denies six charges of sexual assault, two of assault by penetration and one of indecent assault. Yesterday, the fifth day of his trial, he gave evidence for the first time.

Under questioning from his barrister, Tom Moran, he said the teacher had kissed him “on the cheek” after the session in which she had laid partially naked on the bed at his Meridian Massage clinic in Neville’s Cross, Durham, in March last year.

He said he was treating her for an “ME related illness” but added that she had complained during sessions of a low sex drive, and that her husband “treated her like a piece of the furniture.”

Hill told the court the woman telephoned him the following morning to tell him she had “told her husband we had kissed.”

“I told her she had kissed me on the cheek. She agreed, but asked me not to mention that she had talked to me about their relationship problems if he came to see me,” Hill told the jury.

When asked by Mr Moran if he had ever sexually assaulted any of his clients, he replied: “No, my business is my life. I would not put it at risk.”

He told the court he had begun practising reflexology while working at the De La Rue banknote printing company in Gateshead, and had used £25,000 redundancy to start up the business 15 years ago. He said he had attended a course at Gateshead College.

In 2002, Hill was jailed for four months after admitting two counts of indecent assault on women clients.

But he said yesterday: “I still maintain I was innocent, I know I was. I was going to plead not guilty but I was physically wrecked after spending weeks on remand. I was told by my barrister to plead guilty, it would be better for me. He was banging the table with his fists. I said I would do anything just to get out of here, but I felt terrible pleading guilty.”

Hill added: “When I was in prison, clients were writing to book appointments for when I got out. I was working six days a week, from seven in the morning until eleven at night.”

The case continues.