Arabic version: رجل إطفاء سابق يتجنب السجن بسبب اعتداء أثناء جلسة تدليك

According to ABC News, former Tasmanian senior firefighter Valentine Ansett has avoided immediate imprisonment after being sentenced in Hobart for offences against a woman receiving a professional massage.

Ansett, 55, was found guilty earlier this year in the Hobart Magistrates Court of indecent assault and assault with indecent intent at his Hobart massage business in 2024. Magistrate Robert Webster said Ansett placed his hand on the woman’s genital region over a sarong during a so-called “chakra balancing” part of the massage. The indecent assault involved touching her breasts.

Magistrate Webster said Ansett admitted in a police interview that the technique was neither taught to him nor something he normally performed. The magistrate said the woman was vulnerable in a therapeutic relationship and had placed trust in Ansett, which he breached for his own sexual gratification.

The court heard a victim impact statement in which the woman said her life had been “profoundly impacted” by the assault. She said she had been depressed and had nearly taken her life on two occasions.

Ansett received a three-month prison sentence, wholly suspended for 18 months. He will only be jailed if he commits another offence during that period. Magistrate Webster noted Ansett’s more than 30 years of service with the Tasmania Fire Service and said his future employment was uncertain after he was stood down in 2024. His lawyer said an appeal against the conviction had already been filed and is due to be mentioned in the Supreme Court of Tasmania in September.