Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here. News National. Sexually inappropriate masseur allowed to keep working with women. By A Current Affair Staff. Tweet Facebook Mail. The Association of Massage Therapists are "dismayed" with a ruling by the Health Care Complaints Commission that allows a repeat-offender sexually inappropriate masseuse to continue working with women.
A woman - who cannot be identified for privacy reasons - lodged a complaint to the HCCC about an incident which occurred while she was attempting to treat a strained bicep last June with Sydney-based massage therapist Claude Fakhouri. The woman claims Mr Fakhouri asked her to undress to her underwear and remove her bra.
He then put on music she described as "RnB sensual songs all about sex," before grabbing her right breast, telling her she had a "nice arse" and asking her to "roll over, baby. Following their massage consultation, Mr Fakhouri allegedly asked her out for coffee and the following night, sent her a text message asking her if she wanted to re-book.
The woman complained to the HCCC, which found Mr Fakhouri "breached the Code of Conduct for unregistered health practitioners" and "poses a risk to the health or safety of members of the public. Despite their ruling, the Commission said Mr Fakhouri could continue to provide massages to women once he completes an ethics course at TAFE. Two years prior to this incident, he was reported for acting inappropriately towards a young female client half his age while working as a masseuse at a Sydney gym.
He was fired for that behaviour and claimed in that he had learnt his lesson. According to documents released as part of the HCCC's ruling, Mr Fakhouri hired a private investigator to discredit the most recent complainant and link her to the gym that fired him.
