Groping charge ruined my life, sobs spa woman
The man was in a “provocative position” on the table and had been waiting for sports therapist Henry Godfree, the jury was told.
Ms Brocklebank, of Huntingdon, said she rubbed lavender, lemongrass, peppermint and rosemary on to his calves to break the ice.
She told the jury: “I said, ‘Are you waiting for Henry?’ He said, ‘He’s just gone to the bathroom. He’ll be back in a second’.
“I picked up the towels and walked around the massage bed and placed them on the table.
“While I was doing so, I was talking to him.”
She said she apologised to him for being left unattended, saying: “I will start massaging your calves until he gets here.”
She added: “We were both very uncomfortable. I know he knew I had caught him in the wrong position, the wrong way round with no towel, and I didn’t know what to say or do.”
She believed she had interrupted something “personal or inappropriate” between the two men, the court heard.
Ms Brocklebank told police: “When I entered the room, he looked shocked and embarrassed. I was pretty shocked and embarrassed myself because he was lying in an inappropriate manner.” She added: “When he asked me to stop, I couldn’t believe he was serious. I said to him, ‘I’m a trained massage therapist. I will straighten your calf muscles out until Henry gets here’.”
Mr Godfree walked in and “had a go at her” in a clash which made her feel “old and useless”, the jury was told.
Ms Brocklebank also told officers she believed the alleged victim and Mr Godfree planned to “fabricate the incident” to gain compensation.
Yesterday she sobbed as she told the jury: “They have already achieved what they set out to achieve.
“They have ruined my business, ruined my home and ruined my life.”
She also insisted there was “absolutely nothing sexual” about the encounter as the calf muscle is not a “sexual zone”.
Ms Brocklebank said she was wearing a conservative, one-piece swimsuit with white polka dots and not a bikini.
She dismissed claims she was “six out of 10 drunk” but admitted being “tipsy” after a glass of prosecco and two glasses of champagne.
Ms Brocklebank denies sexual assault or an alternative charge of common assault last October.
She also denies perverting the course of justice by sending threatening messages to Mr Godfree.
Referring to the incident, Ms Brocklebank allegedly wrote: “Sorry, did I interrupt gay time?” Mr Godfree told the jury he is not gay. The trial continues.