A Bellingen man convicted of using his remedial massage business in Coffs Harbour as an avenue to indecently assault female clients was sentenced this week.
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Before Judge David Frearson in the Coffs Harbour District Court, 68-year-old Timothy Moffatt was sentenced to 13 years and six months in prison, with at least nine years to be served before any chance of parole.
The lengthy jail term was handed down to the masseur for committing 37 counts of indecent assault against female clients.
Mr Moffatt’s actions included massaging women's breasts, buttocks and groins.
In one instance he penetrated a woman with his fingers.
“He touched the lips of her vagina,” Judge Frearson said.
Moffatt earned the trust of victims over a number of appointments before he would assault them.
The Bellingen Shire Courier-Sun understands the first of 48 victims was 25-years-old when she came forward after being allegedly inappropriately touched by the man during a massage in 2012.
When charges were first laid against Moffatt, police described the act as “a significant breach of trust by a person upon women in a vulnerable situation”.
In 2014, Coffs Clarence LAC setup Taskforce Trotline to continue the investigation where more than 50 charges of indecent assault came to light with victims aged between 18 and 70.
In court it was revealed Moffatt had prostate cancer and kidney issues, his defence lawyer also tabled a medical report suggesting he had autism.
Judge Frearson accounted for Moffatt's ailments but said the autistic disorder did not play a significant role in the offending.
“He created the opportunities in a calculated and a deliberate way,” he said.
Judge Frearson said he believed Moffatt would be unlikely to re-offend as he appeared to have accepted responsibility for his actions.
Moffatt has been in prison since 2014 and will be eligible for parole in 2023 when he is 77 years old.