A Perth courtroom has become the focal point of a harrowing case involving Sexual Assault Allegations against Bunbury massage therapist Anthony Brain, who stands accused of preying on 18 women under the guise of therapeutic treatment. The District Court heard that Brain, 39, allegedly used his clinic situated beside a chiropractor’s office and adorned with professional diplomas as a front for systematic abuse between 2020 and 2023. Prosecutors assert the encounters were never about healing, but about His Own Pleasure, cloaked in manipulative narratives about nudity, wellness, and liberation.
Lead prosecutor Alan Dungey painted a chilling portrait of calculated exploitation, describing how Brain allegedly coaxed vulnerable clients into signing consent forms that purported to authorize intimate touching only to exceed any legitimate therapeutic boundary. One woman, seeking relief for neck and shoulder pain, was instead sexually penetrated and instructed to masturbate in front of him, the court heard. Another, who used a wheelchair, was told Brain had lived in a French Nudist Colony, where public masturbation and voyeurism were normalized. These stories, Dungey argued, reveal not isolated incidents but a consistent strategy to disarm, confuse, and violate.
The emotional weight of the trial was palpable as details emerged of victims’ immediate reactions: one woman struck a kerb while driving home in shock; another showered repeatedly, trying to wash away the violation. For the woman in the wheelchair, escape was physically impossible without assistance leaving her “petrified” as Brain allegedly penetrated her. These accounts underscore the profound power imbalance exploited by the accused, who presented himself as a healer while allegedly inflicting deep psychological wounds. The courtroom, usually a space of detached procedure, resonated with the silent grief of systemic betrayal.
The case has sent ripples through Bunbury, a coastal city where small-business wellness services are often trusted without question. Local advocates stress the importance of clear professional boundaries and transparent consent in therapeutic settings. Brain’s alleged references to rejected applications to Swingers’ Clubs and ambitions to open a brothel further blur the line between personal fantasy and professional conduct. Yet amid the distress, there is quiet resolve: the first complainant’s courage in coming forward in October 2023 sparked a chain reaction, empowering 17 others to speak out a testament to the Power Of Speaking Up.
Anthony Brain has pleaded not guilty to 36 charges, including sexual penetration without consent and aggravated indecent assault. His defence counsel has not yet delivered an opening address, leaving the court and the community awaiting his response to the prosecution’s detailed narrative. The trial, expected to continue for weeks, will scrutinize not only the actions of one man but the systems that allowed such allegations to accumulate unchecked for years. Legal observers note the significance of distinguishing between legitimate therapeutic massage and sexual misconduct—a distinction that hinges on consent, context, and professional ethics.
This case is not about back-alley operations or obvious red flags, prosecutor Dungey emphasized there were no neon signs, only diplomas on the wall and a respectable storefront. That normalcy, he argued, made the abuse all the more insidious. As the trial unfolds, it forces a reckoning: how do we protect the vulnerable when predators wear the mask of care? The answer may lie not just in courts, but in community vigilance, clearer industry standards, and the unwavering belief that a victim’s voice matters. Healing Begins When Silence Ends.
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