38-year-old Ajesh Jacob is pleading not guilty to 10 sexual assault charges while working as a masseur in Victoria between 2019-2020.
The trial is underway for a man facing 10 charges of sexual assault against 10 separate women while working as a masseur in the capital city.
Prosecutors began day one of the 33-day trial laying out the basics. They say Jacob introduced himself as their practitioner named “Sam.” They describe him generally as an Indian man, but the ability of the complainants to recognize Jacob varies.A key witness will be the alleged victim who links the pseudonym ‘Sam’ to Ajesh after she was added as a Facebook friend by an account shortly after her massage.
“I wanted to scream. I wanted to tell somebody. But I was so scared and embarrassed and shocked…I couldn’t say anything…I think I just checked out,” said the woman, who is protected by a publication ban between large moments of silence and sobbing.Roughly 20 months later she reported the incident to Victoria Police in October of 2021.
Complicating this case is the public nature of the allegations, which popped up on social media in March of 2021 on the now deleted Survivor Stories Project Instagram account.
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