Masseur admits to sexually assaulting woman at hotel spa
- Dignity 4Patients
- May 1
- 3 min read
By RTE News - 30.04.2025 - [IRELAND - [Lenon De Souza Seara]
A woman jumped from a massage table in shock after a masseur in a hotel spa in Cork sexually assaulted her shortly after he asked her if she would like a "surprise" at the end of the session.
Lenon De Souza Seara of Granary Court, North Ring Road in Cork appeared before Cork Circuit Criminal Court having pleaded guilty to the sexual assault of a woman at the hotel spa where he was employed on 4 July 2024.
Sergeant Brendan McBridge told Judge Helen Boyle that the 35-year-old hotel employee, who is a native of Brazil, asked the 40-year-old woman if she would like a surprise.
She was under the impression that the surprise might involve additional oils.
The woman was lying on a table with a towel wrapped around her. She had a pair of disposable underwear on and her face was covered with a small towel.
The court heard she was completely shocked when Mr De Souza Seara licked her vagina.
Her victim impact statement was read in to evidence by Sgt McBridge. In it, she said she felt completely violated by what had occurred in the hotel spa.
"I was flustered and vulnerable. For context I was wearing disposable underpants, had a towel over my face and my body was draped with a towel. So effectively, I was otherwise completely naked.
"When the incident occurred, I immediately sprang up and took the face towel off, basically leaving me even more exposed, shocked and repeating: 'No, no, no'. I was naked and frazzled."
The woman left the spa in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
She reported the matter to gardaí the following day after discussing it with her husband. She said she flip-flopped between speaking out on what occurred and never mentioning it again.
"After all, I was physically unharmed. To speak up catapulted me into a process I didn't intentionally sign up for," she said.
"He [the defendant] said it was a misunderstanding. Ok, so it was a misunderstanding. What does that mean to me?
"Is it somehow my fault? Did I not pick up on something earlier? Was he testing me all along? What was the motivation?
"How far was he going to go? How many times has he done this before? How did I not gauge it and stop it earlier?
"These questions I will never really know the answer to, but they are the ones that keep looping in my head," the woman said.
"I feel so naive and stupid. How did I not know how to speak until it was too late? How far would it have gone?
"I feel like I can't trust my own observations and missed the danger signs. That makes me question myself as a person.
"I feel bad for what he is going through and wonder how he is supporting himself after his loss of earnings - It also makes me mad that I feel responsible for that," she added.
"I did nothing wrong. I was violated. I spoke up. I have to live with the unanswered questions."
Defence barrister Elaine Audley BL said her client had cooperated with gardaí and made full admissions to them.
Ms Audley said client accepted full responsibility for his actions which he said arose due to a misunderstanding on his part.
Ms Audley said that De Souza Seara was exposed to sexualised behaviour from a young age and had certain difficulties with interacting socially.
He had grown up in poverty and a brother of his was murdered.
She said that her client had lost his job arising out of the incident. He apologised for his actions.
He is retraining and no longer works in the spa industry.
Ms Audley said her client would be prepared to leave Ireland in order to avoid a custodial sentence.
Judge Boyle remanded De Souza Seara in custody for sentencing on 21 May and indicated the case merited a custodial sentence. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article and were abused in state run medical and health facilities, you can contact Dignity4Patients, whose helpline is open Monday to Thursday 10am to 4pm.
Dignity4Patients Commentary:- Professional boundaries are the lines that define appropriate behavior and relationships between professionals and their clients, ensuring a safe and ethical work environment. They help prevent exploitation and emotional harm, and promote mutual respect and trust. When these boundaries are broken, it is invariably the victim who bears the brunt of the consequences. #VictimVoices #ProfessionalBoundariesTraining #StopSexualAbuse
