A ‘vulnerable’ young singer and actress has been left suffering panic attacks after her masseur sexually assaulted her at a Thai massage parlour in London’s West End.
Masseur Sundaralingam Koodalingam, 36, who came to the country from the Maldives in 2021, assaulted the woman while working at the Rupert Jade Thai Massage in Soho.
As she lay on the table, Koodalingam intimately touched the famous singer and actress, who cannot be named for legal reasons, without her consent.
He has been jailed for four years with Southwark Crown Court hearing of the ‘significant psychological harm’ and ‘ongoing impact’ on the woman’s day-to-day life.
In a victim impact statement that was read to the court, the woman said the assault has ‘fundamentally changed’ her and she has been left ‘untrusting’.
The young actress added that it has caused her ‘creativity’ to be ‘stifled by fear and insecurity.’
In her victim statement, she said: ‘Immediately after the incident took place, I couldn’t go to work. I have had to have regular therapy sessions since the incident.
‘I struggled to know who I was as I always saw myself as someone who would stand up and fight.’
She explained that she found it difficult to talk to people about her ordeal.
‘I found it difficult to talk to friends about what had happened. I don’t want to use the words necessary to explain what he did to me.
‘Imagine the sentence “At least he didn’t rape you’ being the silver lining…”
‘Ultimately, I am fundamentally changed by the incident. The actions of the defendant left me sad and untrusting of people.
‘I don’t know if I will ever get back to who I was before that day.
‘He has taken away my trust, and my innocence, and my ability to give anyone, especially a stranger who happens to be a man, the benefit of the doubt.’
She added: ‘I now know I did absolutely nothing wrong that day.’
Fiona Robertson, prosecuting, said: ‘It is clear there was an abuse of trust between a professional masseuse and a client.
‘There was significant psychological harm. She talks about the ongoing impact on her day-to-day life. She talks about the impact across different aspects of her life.’
Referring to the victim impact statement, Ben Hargreaves, defending, said: ‘Nothing I can possibly say can devalue that victim interest statement at all.
He continued: ‘He came to this country under the sponsorship of a legitimate business in the Cotswolds.
‘The prison estate is in dire straits. Any prison sentence that he faces will be long, hard and cruel in desolate and decrepit buildings and circumstances.
‘He has been in the country since 2021. Any term that he spends incarcerated will be exceptionally hard for him, especially given the offence that he is convicted of.’
Koodalingam, of Manor Park, east London, who appeared at Southwark Crown Court wearing a grey jumper and dark blue jeans, denied but was convicted of assault by penetration and sexual assault.
He is originally from the Maldives but was educated in India.
Jailing the masseur for four years, the judge, Mr Recorder Jeremy Brier, KC, told Koodalingam: ‘On March 29, 2023, a young female actress and singer went to the Rupert Jade massage parlour in Soho.
‘During the course of the massage, you assaulted her.
‘This was a terrible ordeal for her. She describes it as a violation.
‘She describes having panic attacks, and says that she cannot relax in public spaces since the incident has taken place.
‘She was naked, vulnerable, and entirely trusting in your professionalism and integrity.
‘This offence is so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified…’
The judge said the lowest possible sentence he could pass was four years for assault by penetration with two years concurrent for the sexual assault.
