A therapist sexually molested four women while he massaged them at a top health spa, a jury heard yesterday.

Batini Mpofu (32) is accused of touching them indecently during treatments at Ragdale Hall, near Melton.

One distressed woman, who complained to managers in tears, claims she was "fobbed off" with a voucher for a full body massage as compensation.

Mpofu, of Oakthorpe Avenue, Western Park, Leicester, denies five counts of sexual assault upon three women clients and a female member of staff, between July, 2007, and September, 2008.

Police arrested Mpofu after the fourth alleged victim phoned to complain from Ragdale Hall.

Vanessa Marshall, prosecuting, told Leicester Crown Court that one of the staff members, who was aware of her complaint, was told by senior managers to keep the arrest "confidential." She said none of the women knew each other and their independent accounts of what happened were very similar.

The first alleged victim told the jury that during her massage Mpofu moved his hands up her legs to her bottom. She added: "I thought maybe his hand slipped."

Mpofu allegedly stroked her intimately. She said: "I was shocked. I didn't know if it was a mistake. Then I felt him do it again.

"He asked me 'How's that?'.

"I said 'that makes me feel uncomfortable'."

The 27-year-old said Mpofu then touched her under her towel and told her: "You love being touched. I can see it on your face."

She said: "I left the room feeling sick, nauseous and was shaking."

She said she told him she was at the spa with her boyfriend and claimed Mpofu told her: "If your boyfriend could see me doing this to you he wouldn't be very happy."

She was offered a voucher for a massage. She said: "I felt she (a woman manager) wasn't taking it very seriously. I got the feeling she fobbed me off.'' After her two-day stay, she wrote a letter of complaint.

The court heard that the management described the incident as "an unfortunate misunderstanding." Under cross-examination she denied imagining the assault due to her anxiety at having a man massage her. She denied complaining by letter to purely get monetary compensation.

The second alleged victim, 48, said she had previously enjoyed a sports massage by Mpofu on an earlier visit to the spa. When she returned on October 9, 2007, she requested him for a back and shoulder massage.

She said he offered her "a taster" of a full body massage and worked his hands up her legs, allegedly touching her intimately. She said: "He went too high up my leg, inside my leg." The woman said Mpofu tried to lower her knickers and she put her hand down to stop him doing so.

By Staff reporter and agencies