GRAHAM STANNARD FROM WESTCLIFF-ON-SEA SENTENCED IN ESSEX FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT
A massage therapist has escaped immediate imprisonment with a suspended sentence after engaging in what he described as acting out a 'pornographic fantasy' while assaulting a young woman two decades his junior.Graham Stannard, aged 47 and residing in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, repeatedly touched the 25-year-old woman between her legs, claiming he believed her moans of pleasure indicated consent.
However, the victim maintained she did not consent, and her involuntary groans were simply a reaction to her pain from a nerve issue during the massage.
The jury rejected Stannard's assertion that he genuinely thought she was consenting, unanimously finding him guilty of two counts of sexual assault.
Uniquely, Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court Judge John Lodge ordered Stannard to pay £600 towards the victim’s twenty-three private psychotherapy sessions she needed following the incident.
Stannard received a jail term of twenty-one months, suspended for two years.
He is also required to complete 35 days of the Horizon sex offenders programme and up to 30 days of a rehabilitation activity requirement.
Judge Lodge emphasized the breach of trust involved, stating: "It is hard to imagine a grosser abuse of trust than a woman on a massage table, in a vulnerable state, expecting therapy and instead becoming a victim of abuse." He further highlighted the victim’s gestures of generosity despite her trauma, citing her victim impact statement: "I hope the man is provided with the professional tools needed to address his behaviour and prevent any further assaults." The judge added, "It is impossible in a case of sexual violation to seek to place a monetary value on it.
It diminishes the gross violation of these offences, but the victim has sought to have therapy and that has cost her." Discussing the trial, Judge Lodge remarked, "That was the bizarre thing about the trial—that he had a reasonable belief there was consent, which the jury understandably rejected." The court heard that Stannard operated Healing Zen Massage, offering Zen-Su deep release massage in a therapy room within a beauty salon on Bedford Hill, Balham, south London.
The victim, a woman with a high-pressure desk job, booked an appointment after reading positive online reviews.
The incident occurred on August 2, 2020.
During her police statement, she recounted: "When I removed my mask he said: 'Wow.
You've got such a lovely smile,' and I thought that was the first thing out of place." She described lying face-down on the massage table as Stannard began, noting: "He said: 'It's really nice you are making those noises.
I'd like to hear more of them.'" She explained that her usual involuntary moans were misunderstood; she was simply reacting to pain caused by a nerve issue.
The victim testified that Stannard touched her above her knickers while she was on her front, despite her discomfort.
"He just went for it and touched me four times or so, quite hard under my knickers so it was not a mistake," she said.
She described freezing during the incident, feeling helpless and unable to react verbally, explaining: "I always thought in a situation like that I'd be shouty and tell him to: 'F*** off,' but I just completely froze." She tried to move away, but described feeling confused and scared.
She also detailed how Stannard quickly finished the massage and then tried to engage her in conversation, which she found unsettling.
After he returned, he made comments about her appearance, asked her out to dinner, and attempted to kiss her — actions that prompted her to leave, call her boyfriend, and cry.
She recounted: "I was sitting on the kerb, breathing heavily, it was horrible.
I walked around for twenty minutes dry heaving and had a bath when I got home because I had oil all over me and wanted to get it off." Subsequently, she received text messages from Stannard, including one reading: 'Lovely to see you.
Let me know about home massage.' Prosecutor Warwick Tatford stated: "This defendant was working as a provider of massage services within a hairdresser's, and a booking was made online by the woman.
The defendant appeared to have a sexual attraction towards her, commented on her smile—which she found unusual—and touched her above her knickers during the massage." During the trial, the prosecutor explained to the jury that while some clients might hold a good opinion of Stannard, his actions on that day were driven by sexual temptation.
"He was attracted to her and couldn’t resist the urge to sexually assault her.
It was a forceful massage, and she made noises when he pressed on a painful spot," he said.
The prosecutor added that Stannard's behavior seemed to turn into an imitation of a pornographic fantasy, with the massage escalating inappropriateness.
Stannard admitted to officers that he was sexually aroused and that he crossed a line, claiming he got carried away and believed the encounter was consensual.
Under cross-examination, the victim clarified that her noises did not necessarily indicate arousal and explained that she was in shock, saying: "It happened so quickly, I was in shock.
I didn't know what to say." She also stated that her movement might be misinterpreted as participation.
Stannard's lawyer, John Livingston, described him as a generally kind and sensitive individual who had simply crossed the line of professionalism in a moment of lapse after years of good practice.
He emphasized that this was an isolated incident, citing that the woman had researched his work beforehand and found him to be helpful.
In a probation interview, Stannard maintained that he genuinely believed the woman was aroused, which Livingston suggested might stem from extreme embarrassment and remorse.
The lawyer assured the court that Stannard was very remorseful, had learned a harsh lesson, and had ceased his massage work, now working as an Uber Eats delivery driver.
Judge Lodge concluded that the Horizon programme and the rehabilitation activities would provide a realistic chance for rehabilitation and reduce the risk of reoffending, allowing the sentence to be suspended.
Additionally, Stannard was subject to a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order prohibiting him from providing any physical, mental, or spiritual therapy, and he must also sign the sex offenders register for ten years.
