CHRISTOPHER BARNES SENTENCED FOR SEXUAL ASSAULTS IN LIVERPOOL

Christopher Barnes, 46, a qualified masseur from Wellington Street, Garston, was sentenced to four years in prison at Liverpool Crown Court after being convicted of sexually assaulting three women. The assaults occurred following Barnes’s arrest and police questioning in relation to similar allegations. One victim expressed her anger, saying she hoped Barnes "rotted in hell" for the harm he caused.

Prosecutor Michael Scholes outlined that Barnes touched the breasts and groins of six women who had booked massages at his Rose Lane clinic. Barnes had previously groped two women during 2018, within a two-month period, also at his south Liverpool clinic. Those earlier incidents left the victims feeling disgusted, vulnerable, and frightened.

Barnes pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault just weeks before his trial, receiving a 20-month sentence suspended for two years in June 2019. However, following coverage by the ECHO, additional women came forward, revealing they too had been sexually victimized by Barnes.

In total, Barnes molested eight women during massages, abusing his professional position to exploit clients who were suffering from pain and stress.

During the sentencing, Judge Neil Flewitt, QC, highlighted that Barnes committed three sexual assaults after being arrested and interviewed by police in April 2018, in relation to claims from two other women. The judge emphasized the aggravating nature of these offenses, stating: "It is also an aggravating feature of this case that you sexually assaulted three women after you had been arrested and interviewed in relation to the allegations made by two other women."

He further noted that the pattern of offenses against eight different women indicated that Barnes's actions were planned, rather than impulsive, observing that Barnes appeared to target suitable victims.

Judge Flewitt also addressed how Barnes exploited his professional status, saying: "I recognize that, when you committed these offences, you were a properly qualified masseur, not a charlatan pretending to have skills which were beyond you. However, that fact is of limited value because it means that you were well aware that what you were doing was inappropriate and of no therapeutic value."

Victims described the detrimental impact of Barnes’s actions. One said: "It felt like parts of it were more for his gratification than what I’d agreed to, which was a relaxation treatment." Another victim explained: "I felt like I was being abused and taken advantage of. I’m a very proud woman, and to be touched in those areas was mortifying for me." A third woman shared: "It just didn’t feel like a massage, it didn’t feel like Reiki; it felt like caressing."

Concluding his sentence, Judge Flewitt stated: "You committed offences against eight different women. You continue to deny the offences and show little or no remorse. Your continued denials increase the risk of harm to lone females." Barnes was sentenced to four years in prison and will be subject to a sexual offences prevention order upon release on licence.