A masseur sexually attacked women while carrying out massages, a court has heard. Marcelo Oliveira is alleged to have sexually assaulted three separate clients at his home in Birmingham and clinics in Liverpool and Knightsbridge in London between December 2019 and July 2020.
A jury was told he inappropriately touched one woman after telling her she had the 'best bum' in the city. The 47-year-old, of Hampton Place, St Albans, advertised his services on Instagram. He stands trial at Birmingham Crown Court having denied four charges of assault by penetration and three of sexual assault.
Oliveira has accepted the three women were his clients and he gave them massages, but he has denied the specific acts alleged took place. Opening the case yesterday, Monday, June 1, prosecutor Matthew Brook KC said many of his customers were women who had had major cosmetic surgery such as liposuction or a 'Brazilian Butt Lift'. He said surgeons recommended massages as part of their recovery, such as lymphatic drainage and body contouring procedures.
Mr Brook said: "Under the guise of providing legitimate massages and being a legitimate professional the defendant sexually assaulted three women." He told the court Oliveira touched their genitals 'when there was no legitimate reason to do so', when in reality he touched them for his 'own sexual pleasure'.
It was alleged the first complainant came to him after seeing an advert on social media. Mr Brook said: "She had a number of sessions with the defendant and started to feel comfortable with him. She started to trust him. He would compliment her body and tell her she had the best bum in Liverpool. And he told her about his wife and children."
Three alleged penetrative offences relate to her. The prosecutor said in the last incident she had only requested a stomach massage. He added Oliveira touched her inappropriately at the end after asking her to turn around, saying he 'can't go without seeing the best bum in Liverpool'.
The second woman found the defendant on Instagram and had massages at his clinic in Knightsbridge. Mr Brook said: "Right from the first session she found the defendant to be over-friendly. When she got undressed he stood in front of her rather than giving her any privacy. She saw him as a medical professional and therefore trusted him."
She has made two allegations of sexual assault, including saying Oliveira offered to help her with numbness in her chest. "The reality is he couldn't, he just used that as an excuse to grab her for about five minutes," said Mr Brook.
It is alleged Oliveira committed a further penetrative assault and a sexual assault against a third woman during the same session at his home in Birmingham in March 2020. It was said the latter offence occurred when he pressed himself against her from behind.
After being arrested he told police he had been a qualified massage therapist for 16 years and had come to the UK from Brazil in 2006. Oliveira went on to deny the allegations in interviews. The trial continues.
