A masseur has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting five women while working at a luxury Berkshire spa and faces a prison sentence when he is later sentenced at crown court.
Ibrahim Ali, 36, of Datchet, pleaded guilty on Thursday at Reading Magistrates' Court to five counts of sexual assault by touching, relating to attacks carried out between November and December last year at the Nirvana Spa in Sindlesham. He was released on conditional court bail and is due to be sentenced at Reading Crown Court at a later date. Ali was initially charged with four counts in July and a further count in September.
Thames Valley Police said the five women had attended the retreat for back and foot massages when the assaults took place. Investigating officer PC Chloe Palmer said the guilty plea "represents a positive outcome for the victims in this case and reflects the dedication that went into this investigation." She added that bringing Ali to justice demonstrates the force's commitment to tackling violence against women and that the outcome provided some sense of closure for the victims.
Nirvana Spa, which advertises itself as a place "where relaxation and luxury go hand in hand," confirmed that Ali was dismissed following the police inquiry. In a statement previously given to The Sun and provided to media outlets, the retreat said it was "aware of the outcome of a police investigation involving a massage therapist who previously worked at Nirvana Spa" and expressed "heartfelt empathy to anyone affected by this matter." The spa said it conducted an immediate internal investigation, takes such matters extremely seriously and is committed to ensuring guests feel safe.
The allegations relate to clients who had booked routine spa treatments. Nirvana Spa's publicly listed back treatments include a range of services described on its website, and the retreat has previously been frequented by high-profile visitors. The spa offers memberships and various priced treatments; the facility said after the investigation that some foot services are now only advertised as being provided by female therapists.
Ali's guilty pleas follow a police investigation into the reported incidents and the bringing of charges across July and September of this year. He remains on conditional bail ahead of his sentencing hearing at Reading Crown Court, where a judge will determine his sentence. Thames Valley Police and the spa have said they will not be commenting further while proceedings continue.