Man claiming to be masseur, photographer accused of sexually abusing clients
Eefje van Iersel from Den Bosch was sexually abused by a masseur who offered to treat her foot pain for free, she said in a post on Facebook. She was quickly flooded with comments and messages from other women claiming to be abused by the same man, when he presented himself as a photographer to amateur models, and also a tutor for students or a driving instructor, Omroep Brabant reports.
Van Iersel received a private message on Facebook from the man after she asked for tips on how to treat foot pain on the social media site. "He wrote that he has been helping people through acupressure treatments for years. He doesn't ask money. He does for his faith", Van Iersel said. The man does not have a practice, so offered to do the treatment at her home. The Den Bosch woman was skeptical, so she made sure her boyfriend was home when the man came over.
The acupressure masseur initially gave a neat impression, she said to the broadcaster. The treatment started with him examining her feet. Then he wanted to 'examine' her thigh. "I hadn't said anything yet and his hand was already in my pants." Later the man focused on her breasts for a long time. "First on the side of my breast, I had my clothes on. He said my bra was in the way and asked if I could move the strap. So I lowered my strap. Suddenly he pulled my bra and top down and I lay there with bare breasts on the couch."
Van Iersel's boyfriend was in the room, but couldn't see what the man was doing. He did not trust the situation completely, so decided to take a photo of the man during the 'treatment'. Only after the man left did the two fully realize what happened.
After much hesitation, Van Iersel finally decided to put her story on Facebook, to warn others against the man. She received hundreds of responses. She also told her story to the foundation Hotline Model Photography, because the man said he also does photography. Since then the hotline received at least fve complaints about the same man.
So far no one pressed charges, but Van Iersel plans to do so. She hopes that more victims will come forward. "I want him to get caugth", she said to the broadcaster.
