A famous actress and singer described how her ‘trust and innocence were taken away’ when she was sexually assaulted during a massage.
The woman, in her 30s, was attacked by Sundaralingam Koodalingam, 36, at the Rupert Jade Thai Massage parlour in Soho in March 2023.
She was wearing only her underwear and a towel when he subjected her to two assaults while she lay on the treatment table in the darkened room, Southwark Crown Court heard.
The woman said ‘one more disgusting predator has been taken off the streets’ as Koodalingam was jailed for four years today, adding: ‘Tens, if not hundreds, of women are now safe.’
Koodalingam had denied the allegations, accusing his victim of making them up and forcing her to relive the ordeal in front of a jury.
The star, who has anonymity as a sexual offences victim, outlined the ‘devastating’ impact the attack has had on her in a statement read to the court by prosecutor Fiona Robertson.
In it, she described feeling ‘violated’ by the assault and ‘fundamentally changed’ as a person in the wake of it.
She has undergone regular therapy sessions, had to call on her dad to walk her to and from work, and found herself ‘flipping out’ at male strangers making unwanted advances.
‘The widespread anger that this despicable human has caused is vast and very, very real,’ she said.
‘My job requires me to be playful, open and light. Creativity is stifled by fear and insecurity.’
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She continued: ‘I don’t know that I will ever get back to who I was before that day.’
The victim said she has questioned her own actions, asking herself why she didn’t stand up, call out the assault and get out of there.
‘I always saw myself as someone who would stand up and fight,’ she said. ‘I now know that I did absolutely nothing wrong that day.’
The court heard she found it difficult to confide in friends about what happened to her, and she described her distress at one remarking: ‘Well, at least he didn’t rape you.’
‘Imagine the sentence “at least he didn’t rape you” being the silver lining,’ she said.
‘This man has taken away my trust, my innocence, and my ability to give strangers – especially ones who happen to be male – the benefit of the doubt.
‘I feel angry that this man has taken anything from me at all, triumphant to say it’s over, devastated it happened to me, and peaceful that justice has been brought.
‘This man will finally have to face the consequences of his actions.’
Koodalingam, of Manor Park, east London, was found guilty of sexual assault and assault by penetration.
Ms Robertson told the court there had been ‘a clear abuse of trust between a professional masseur and a client’.
The prosecutor said the victim has needed ‘a significant amount of therapy’ to help her cope with the ‘ongoing impact on her personal life even two and a half years on’.
Jailing Koodalingam, judge Recorder Jeremy Brier KC said: ‘This was a frightening and terrifying ordeal for her.
‘She was naked, vulnerable and entirely trusting in your professionalism and propriety.’
The court heard Koodalingam is originally from the Maldives and came to the UK on a sponsored visa in 2021.
His barrister Ben Hargreaves said his time in custody in the ‘desolate and decrepit’ prison system will be ‘especially hard’.
He must serve two-thirds of the sentence before he will be released.
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