WARNING: Some details in this story are disturbing. Discretion is advised.
A Burnaby, B.C., spa operator convicted of sexually assaulting seven women while providing “vaginal tightening” treatments has been sentenced to 11 years in prison.
A jury convicted Farshad Khojsteh-Kashani of seven counts of sexual assault in April, and he has been in custody since.
“Each one of Mr. Khojsteh-Kashani’s seven offences is grave,” Justice Lisa Warren said in court on Tuesday.
The complainants trusted him to perform legitimate therapeutic procedures and his offending represents a significant breach of trust, she said.
Khojsteh-Kashani worked as a GP in Iran but was not certified as a doctor in Canada and said the sexual assaults were misunderstandings.
However, the B.C. Supreme Court judge noted that his denial of inappropriate touching was rejected by the jury.
At trial, jurors heard that many of the victims had come to him seeking other treatments when he introduced them to the invasive vaginal procedure, which is performed with an 18-centimetre wand.
The trial heard that Khojsteh-Kashani had rubbed victims’ clitorises and penetrated them with his fingers. The court heard he asked one victim if using the wand had “turned her on” and asked another if she wanted him to “finish her off.”
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He was initially charged in 2022 after two women reported they’d been sexually assaulted during treatments at the spa. Five more women subsequently came forward to RCMP with complaints.
“He made a conscious decision,” Warren said, “to violate each one of the complainants, he exploited their vulnerability and he attempted to deceive them about the legitimacy of what he was doing.”
Khojsteh-Kashani has no prior criminal record and Warren said his prospects for rehabilitation are good, with his risk of reoffending low.
“He stands to lose so much if he engages in similar criminality again,” she said.
With credit for time already spent in custody following his conviction in April, the spa operator has just over 10 years left to serve.
Khojsteh-Kashani’s lawyer says it’s too early to say whether they will appeal the decision.
Crown prosecutor Jacinta Lawton declined to comment on Tuesday but previously told the court the case highlights oversight issues in the cosmetic spa industry.
“The lack of regulation resulted in a perfect environment for a sexual predator like Mr. Khojsteh-Kashani to operate,” Lawton said during sentencing submissions.
Also, Crown had asked for a lifetime SOIRA(Sex Offender Registration Information Act) order while defence counsel sought 20 years only. Warren issued a 20-year SOIRA order.
— with files from Simon Little
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