Sex assault preliminary hearing set for massage therapist

A 53-year-old massage therapist accused of inappropriately touching a client last November is preparing for a preliminary hearing later this summer.

Cyprian Mudenge, who has elected to be tried by a Court of Queen’s Bench judge without a jury, will have the hearing July 2 in Lethbridge provincial court.

A preliminary hearing, also called a preliminary inquiry, is generally held to determine if there is enough evidence to warrant a trial. The hearing, which is expected to take about six hours, was scheduled Thursday following a brief hearing, during which an agent for the accused’s lawyer appeared in court.

Mudenge is charged with one count of sexual assault. He was not required to attend court Thursday,

On Nov. 28 of last year, a 34-year-old woman told police she had been sexually assaulted during a massage earlier in the day. Police reported that the allegations involve inappropriate touching.

Police reported Mudenge had been dismissed from his job, and at the time there was no evidence to indicate there was more than one victim. A publication ban prohibits issuing any information that could identify the complainant.