A former Vancouver registered massage therapist (RMT) has now been arrested and charged for allegedly assaulting his clients and police are appealing for other victims to come forward.
Police say in March 2017, Vancouver Police Department’s Sex Crimes Unit began investigations of sexual assaults against Bodhi Jones, an RMT who was working near West 7th Avenue and Burrard Street.
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Several of his female patients reported to police that they were allegedly assaulted by Jones during massage treatments between September 2016 and March 2017.
Over the next year, officers working on the case identified several victims.
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WATCH: Former massage therapist charged with assault
On May 29, 2018, Crown Counsel approved four charges of sexual assault against Jones.
“Sex assaults are some of the most challenging investigations, and solving them is a priority for the VPD,” says VPD Const. Jason Doucette. “We are publicly releasing this information with the hope of providing those affected with a direct point of contact at the VPD. We want to hear from anyone who feels they may have been assaulted by Mr. Jones.”
Detectives are urging any more victims to come forward.
The B.C. College of Massage Therapists says Jones voluntarily resigned his registration with the college during an investigation arising from his conduct while practicing massage therapy.
In a statement, the College said:
“Mr. Jones is not authorized to practice as a registered massage therapist in British Columbia. He may not use the titles ‘registered massage therapist’, ‘massage therapist’, ‘registered massage practitioner’, or ‘massage practitioner’, or any abbreviations of those titles.”
Anyone who may have been assaulted by Bodhi Jones, or has information they feel could be important for the police to know, is asked to contact the VPD Sex Crimes Unit at 604-717-0603 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
WATCH: VPD announce sexual assault charges against Bodhi Jones
Jones will be back in court on June 28.
He has been released on nine conditions, including not to provide any massages to women, not to provide services as a massage therapist, no contact with the four alleged victims and not to possess any firearms or knives.
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