Man who sexually assaulted two women during massage sentenced

A man who sexually assaulted two women during a massage treatment has been sentenced in his absence.

Muhammed Ramande, 39 (23.09.78) of Shalfleet Drive, Notting Hill, West London was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment on Monday 19 February at Blackfriars Crown Court. He was sentenced in his absence. He was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault by penetration on 12 February at the same court.

He was arrested and charged on 6 June 2017. He was bailed to attend Highbury Corner Magistrates Court on 4 July 2017.

On 30 July 2016 Ramande gave a Swedish massage at a Beauty Salon in Kilburn where he worked.

He asked the 31-year-old woman to lie naked on the massage bed and sexually assaulted her. He was asked to stop and fearful for his job, pleaded for the woman to not report him to the police. He gave a £20 refund and promised that he would not sexually assault anyone in future. Police were later informed and made contact with some women that were given a massage at the same venue by Ramande.

A 28-year-old woman came forward following the appeal and reported that she too had experienced a similar sexual assault as the previous woman.

In August 2017 Ramande left the United Kingdom with his daughter and headed to Turkey. Turkish Authorities confirmed he had left Turkey and believed to have headed towards Iran.

Detective Constable Jason Anderson from the Met’s Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Command said: “Ramande is an opportunistic predator who used his business of massage therapy as a smoke screen to sexually assault women. He counted on their isolation and vulnerability during massage sessions to take advantage of the trust given to him.

“All the victims have shown great bravery and tenacity in coming forward to report Ramande and it was their support of prosecution that led to the case being heard at Blackfriars Crown Court. We thank them for their patience and support throughout this lengthy investigation. We would also encourage anyone who is the subject of a similar attack to come forward knowing that the police will do all it can to bring offenders such as Ramande to justice. “