Steven Goss 56

Description

A perverted sports masseur who sexually assaulted female clients after asking them to strip naked has been jailed.

Steven Goss groped the women during treatments at his sports massage business, which he ran for six years in County Durham.

The 54-year-old had already been jailed for 21 months for the same type of offending, but was hauled in front of a judge once again after more victims came forward.

Goss, of Mount Pleasant, Dipton, appeared at Durham Crown Court on Friday to be sentenced for seven counts of sexual assault.

The offences were committed between 2014 and 2017.

The court heard Goss ran a sports massage business and would carry out sexual assaults on lone female clients, sometimes when his wife was also working at the premises.

He would "lock the door" when massaging the women and would ask some to be "fully naked" or "semi-naked" during the treatment.

The court heard Goss sexually assaulted one woman during a two-hour long massage, despite her only expecting an hour-long treatment.

Goss made "inappropriate sexual comments" to another woman before sexually assaulting her as he was "wrapping towels" around her.

Another victim made a number of trips to see Goss for massages, and said she was sexually assaulted during "75% of her visits to him".

The court heard that victims were left "embarrassed", with one woman "regretting not reporting it sooner".

Another had become "withdrawn".

One victim read out a statement in court where she said she had "supressed what had happened" and was left feeling "worthless".

She said she thought she would "never be believed" and that her recovery will be a "long journey".

Tony Davis, defending, said Goss had a "distinguished career in the Armed Forces", but has now "lost his reputation and livelihood".

He said he will "forever carry the stigma" of being a sex offender and can no longer work in the sports therapy industry.

Mr Davis added that over the six years of working as a masseur, Goss had massaged around 5,000 people, a "great many" of which "spoke of no inappropriate behaviour".

Sentencing Goss, Judge James Adkin, the Recorder of Durham, said he had committed "serious sexual offending".

Goss was jailed for four years and will be on the sex offenders' register for life.

A lifelong sexual harm prevention order was also made as well as a lifelong restraining order.