• Advisory: This story has details about alleged sexual assaults.
A woman testifying at the sexual-assault trial of a Victoria spa worker sobbed quietly on the witness stand at times on Thursday as she described inappropriate touching during a spa treatment.
The woman, whose name is protected by a publication ban, said she went to Big Feet, a spa and reflexology studio on Fort Street, in February 2020 for a “fire cupping” procedure involving hot cups placed on her back. She testified Thursday on the first day of a trial for Ajesh Jacob, 38, who faces 10 charges of sexual assault involving 10 different women.
After the treatment was complete, the spa worker, who she identified as Jacob, said he had some extra time and offered her a massage, which she accepted, the woman said. The massage began normally, but eventually Jacob’s hands moved from her shoulders to her chest, she testified.
“I can feel his hands all over my breasts,” she said, weeping.
Through an interpreter, Jacob pleaded not guilty to all 10 charges of sexual assault stemming from his work at the spa over a nearly two-year period until March 17, 2021. Jacob was arrested two months later on May 13, 2021.
The court will hear testimony from women who say they were sexually assaulted by Jacob, as well as the owner of Big Feet, witnesses who the women spoke to about their experiences and witnesses with similar experiences involving Jacob, Crown prosecutor Camas Ussery said.
The women are expected to testify they went to Big Feet for acupressure massage or fire cupping, she said. They began the sessions facedown, but partway through, they were asked to turn over, Ussery said.
In most cases, the women were not properly covered by a sheet, she said, and the degree of sexual touching varies between them.
“Some complainants allege Mr. Jacob touched their breasts. Some allege he touched their vaginal area and some allege he put his fingers inside their vagina,” Ussery said.
The woman who testified Thursday told the court that after the treatment, she paid and thanked the receptionist in the busy clinic where others were receiving treatments.
“I wanted to scream. I wanted to tell somebody but I was so scared and embarrassed and shocked,” she said. It was not a safe environment for her to share what had happened, she said.
Defence lawyer Jordan Watt asked the woman under cross-examination if it was possible she left a tip for the treatment.
“I think it’s pretty automatic for me to add a tip,” she responded.
“And would you agree with me that typically if you leave a tip for service, that means the service was good?” Watt asked.
The woman disagreed. “I paid by card and when I received the machine, the tip amount is waiting for me to be added. The receptionist is standing there, watching me pay. … I do feel the pressure to tip, yes, regardless of whether it’s a good treatment or not,” she said.
The trial continues today and is scheduled for seven weeks.
