A Conservative peer and former British Paralympic champion groped a masseuse’s bottom and asked her if she ‘did extras’ as he pointed at his crotch, a court heard.
Lord Christopher Holmes of Richmond MBE, 48, is accused of sexually assaulting a female masseuse during a 90-minute rubdown last March.
Britain’s most successful Paralympic swimmer, who won nine gold, five silver, and one bronze medal in his career, has denied the charge.
Prosecutor Linda Strudwick told jurors at Southwark Crown Court today that Holmes had attempted a ‘deliberate sexual assault’ at the five-star London hotel.
Blind former athlete Holmes, now a life peer, is said to have grabbed the woman’s arm before enquiring if he could ‘see how you look’.
Lord Holmes (pictured outside Southwark Crown Court in south London today) is accused of sexual assault during a 90-minute spa massage. He denies the charge
Assuming that the peer had meant to touch her face, the complainant allowed him to do this before ‘feeling embarrassed and uincomfortable’, the court heard.
When she tried moving away, Holmes ‘stopped her by grabbing her buttocks’, Ms Strudwick said, before asking if he could ‘touch her boobs’.
Holmes allegedly asked the masseuse if she ‘did extras’ and pointed to his crotch, before she told him: ‘No, I am a professional’.
The former Paralympic athlete ‘obviously realised that he had gone too far’ and ‘made shushing noises to her and apologised’, Ms Strudwick added.
He was handed a robe, before the distressed woman reported the incident to her manager, her work agency, and confided in her partner, the court heard.
Jurors, who were sworn in yesterday, were told how Holmes had been given disposable underwear to wear during the massage.
‘This underwear appears to have become broken, whether Mr Holmes did this deliberately or it was an accident the prosecution do not know,’ Ms Strudwick said.
‘It is right to say that these garments not the sturdiest of underpants.
‘Mr Holmes asked if he could take them off and [the victim] said he could, provided he ensured that the towel remained covering him.’
During the massage, the masseuse noticed Holmes flicking the towel to uncover his buttocks, but assumed it was accidental, the court was told.
He is said to have told her that ‘she could go higher if she wanted to’.
Ms Strudwick argued that Holmes had ‘wanted more than a massage’ and had attempted a ‘deliberate sexual assault’.
‘The position that she was in made [the victim] begin to feel uncomfortable and tried to move away from him,’ she told the jury.
Pictured left to right: Chris Holmes ‘Special Award’, Linford Christie ‘Panasonic Sports Personality of the Year’, David Gower ‘Special Award’ and Steve Redgrave ‘Outstanding Achievement Award’ at the Sports Personality of Year Awards 1992
Prosecutor Linda Strudwick told jurors at Southwark Crown Court today that Holmes had attempted a ‘deliberate sexual assault’ at the five-star London hotel
‘She was prevented from doing so by Mr Holmes grabbing her buttocks, thus holding her in place between his legs. He asked if he could touch her boobs and pointed to his groin and asked if she did extras, plainly a reference, you may think, to her giving him some sort of sexual relief.’
In a statement to the police, Holmes said: ‘The massage continued and the pressure was strong and effective in relieving muscle tension.
‘From recollection, about two thirds of the 90-minute massage was spent with me lying on my front. Approximately 60 minutes into the treatment the masseuse asked me to turn onto my back and I did so, but with the towels still covering me.
‘She continued to apply deep pressure, now to the front of my body.
‘Approximately another 15 minutes into the treatment, while still lying on my back, with the therapist to the right of my body, I raised both of my hands slightly (not touching her but to demonstrate) and asked something along the lines of ”is it ok to touch you to see what you look like?”
‘As I am blind I cannot “see” but I can get a sense of what a person looks like through touch, which is the only sense I can use to get an image in my mind of people’s appearance. It is obviously a bit strange to be massaged by someone, without knowing what they look like.
Lord Holmes (pictured outside Southwark Crown Court in south London on Tuesday) allegedly groped the female masseuse’s bottom during the 90-minute rubdown
Pictured left to right, 1996: Jo Jackson, swimmer Sarah Bailey, swimmer Christopher Holmes, sprinter Stephen Payton, runner Noel Thatcher, and Simon Jackson, with Virgina Bottomley
‘By touching I mean lightly tracing the outline of the other person rather than grabbing them in a firm way as suggested in the disclosure document.
‘I continued by touching her face, shoulders and sides, for a few seconds, before resting them somewhere around the level of her hips.
‘As I am basing my recollection only on touch I cannot be sure exactly where my hands rested but there was absolutely no intention to touch her in a sexual way.
‘It was purely to give me an idea of her appearance.
‘I cannot recall exactly what was said but at some point she indicated she was no longer comfortable and I immediately stopped touching her.
‘At no time did I touch her breasts or genital area.
‘I believed that I asked the therapist whether she worked anywhere else and she told me she did not and that she was a “professional”.
‘It sounded as though she was a little upset and I immediately apologised profusely for embarrassing her, as this was the last thing I wanted to do.
‘I remember placing my fist across my chest to indicate I was sorry.
‘I am certain that I did not ask the therapist for ‘extras’ and I am adamant I did not point to my groin at any time.
‘My only intentional gesture is described above. I did not ask my therapist for sexual services of any kind and I am well aware that those sort of services are not available in respectable hotel spas, with trained massage therapists.
‘I can completely understand that the therapist may have been confused and upset by my request to touch her as I cannot imagine that she sees many completely blind clients, would would make a request of this kind.
‘It is always difficult for me and other blind people to ask to touch sighted people, but it is a basic human instinct to want to know what what somebody looks like and that is the only way we have.’
Ms Strudwick told jurors: ‘Mr Holmes is a highly intelligent man and must therefore know that the circumstances are everything is a matter like this.
‘Asking someone something when you are in a room with them, with other people, you are both dressed and you have explained your reasons would be completely different to being alone with a masseuse, where she has been touching your body and you are only wearing a towel and alone,’ she said.
‘He knew that the sighted are often embarrassed and do not know what do do around blind people and he used that.
‘Mr Holmes thought that if he was not successful in his bid for sexual release he could talk his way out of it, and that is what he tried to do.’
The trial continues.