One of four women who allege a Montreal massage therapist sexually abused them testified at his criminal trial Thursday that her session with the accused at a spa in Old Montreal was almost entirely a sexual assault. <\/p>\n
The fourth complainant to testify in the trial of Vitalie Moraru, 52, at the Montreal courthouse, told Quebec Court Judge Genevi\u00e8ve Graton she felt she was sexually assaulted roughly 50 minutes of the hour-long session in 2024.<\/p>\n
While being cross-examined by defence lawyer Robert Bellefeuille on Thursday afternoon, the woman, whose identity is protected by a standard publication ban, said she went to the spa for a massage to fix a problem with her back she was experiencing while she worked. She said Moraru focused mainly on her buttocks throughout most of the massage.<\/p>\n
Bellefeuille asked video footage be shown in court during the cross-examination. In the video, the woman is seen as she walked out of the session and greeted her partner, who was waiting at the reception desk of the spa located on a boat in Old Montreal. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou were in a good mood. You were smiling (in the video), wouldn\u2019t you say,\u201d Bellefeuille asked. <\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely not,\u201d the woman replied. <\/p>\n
She explained, at that point, she only knew her boyfriend for roughly three weeks and did not know how to deal with the awkward situation she found herself in.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was completely in a state of shock,\u201d the woman said when the defence attorney had the video footage paused at a moment when a smile appeared on her face briefly. <\/p>\n
She also agreed she filled out a form on an electronic tablet asking clients to rate their satisfaction with the massage and tipped Moraru $10.<\/p>\n
She said she filled out the form and left the tip out of habit. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was $10 and I was out of there,\u201d the woman said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you write under \u2018would you recommend\u2019 (on the form)\u201d Bellefeuille asked. <\/p>\n
\u201cI wrote nothing,\u201d the complainant said.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, at the start of the trial, a different complainant alleged Moraru massaged her breasts to treat her for a sore back at a location in Verdun. She told the court Moraru had successfully treated her back in the past, at a spa on Nuns\u2019 Island, without having to touch her breasts.<\/p>\n
Another woman filed a complaint alleging she was sexually assaulted by Moraru the same day he is alleged to have sexually assaulted the woman at the Verdun location.<\/p>\n
Both of the women who allege they were sexually assaulted by Moraru on the same day in Verdun came forward with complaints after Dec. 5, 2024, when Montreal police issued a release stating Moraru had been charged with sexually assaulting two of his clients earlier that year and their investigators suspected there were more victims.<\/p>\n
The Crown declared its evidence closed on Thursday. <\/p>\n
Moraru is scheduled to present a defence next week. <\/p>\n