Witness accused of ‘consensual sex’ with Thame hair consultant

WARNING – The following report contains sexual references that may offend.
A COURT heard today the most shocking evidence so far, on the third day of the trial of a hair and scalp specialist who runs a clinic in Thame.
A former client of the defendant, Praminder Mankoo, who was treated by him on several occassions, said that, in her final massage session with him, despite having felt “embarrassed” and “uncomfortable” having her breasts massaged by Mankoo twice before, she returned for a third time.

It was during this final session, she said, that Mankoo removed all his clothes (saying it was hot in the room) and stood before her naked, in a state of ‘high arousal’ (Editor’s paraphrase) before suggesting she perform a sexual act on him.
“I was shocked – confused – I felt lost,” she said.
Nevertheless, she admitted that she did ‘help him to a point of climax’ (Editor’s paraphrase) over her body.

“I touched him,” she said, “because I felt it was a compromise and then I could go without coming to any harm.”

When asked by the Defence Counsel why she had returned to the clinic after her experience to buy hair products, the witness said: “..because the treatment was working – my hair was improving dramatically.”

The Defence Counsel then told the witness: “I would suggest that by the third massage, you were were having a consensual sexual relationship with Mr Mankoo.
“Why didn’t you say to him that you would prefer not to have your breasts massaged?”

“Because,” replied the witness, “I never spoke about these things – I was not brought up that way. I was not strong enough”

Defence Counsel: “You were starting to like him a lot, and you were encouraging him to touch you lower and he would not.
“He asked you to breath deeply and you were moaning.
“You were trying to get him into a sexual relationship.”

“No, no!” replied the witness. She then admitted to being “a bit sexually aroused” during her second massage.

The Defence’s suggestions of complicity continued: that the two of them undressed each other, that the witness asked Mankoo for sex and that she offered to masterbate him – all of which the witness repudiated.

Defence Counsel: “Why didn’t you say you wanted it to stop?”

Witness: “Because I was frightened – he is a man – he is stronger than me.”

The judge then asked the witness why she didn’t just get out of the room and why she did not report the incident to the authorities. The witness replied: “I have been raised in a macho culture; you do not argue with men.
“I didn’t complain because I had not been raped.”

The case continues tomorrow.