A sports massager therapist has been jailed after he was convicted of sexually assaulting two male clients.
At Antrim Crown Court, sitting in Belfast, Judge Roseanne McCormick KC ordered Kevin Bartlett (63) to serve half his seven year sentence in jail and half under supervised licence conditions.
In addition, he will have to sign the police sex offenders for the rest of his life.
At the conclusion of a two week trial earlier this year Bartlett was unanimously convicted of sexually assaulting two male clients.
Bartlett, who has an address at Fountain Street in Antrim but who is understood to be from the Wigan area in England, had faced nine offences arising from the four alleged incidents between February 11 and December 4 2020.
During the course of the trial the jury heard how Bartlett was massaging the men at his premises when he sexually assaulted them.
Bartlett gave evidence on his own behalf, detailing how he had been qualified and working as a sports masseuse for more than 15 years and had been actively involved in several rugby clubs in Co. Antrim, including creating the Aslan club, “an LGBT inclusive rugby club”.
Conceding that he had “crossed the line” when he touched the first witness he maintained however he did that with consent and because “he asked me to”.
He told the jury he realised with hindsight that he had made a wrong decision “and I will never be allowed to massage again” but he maintained it was done with the man’s consent.
As regards the second victim Bartlett declared his account was “a complete fabrication” and there had been no sexual contact at all.
By their unanimous verdicts however the jury rejected his explanations and have accepted the accounts from the victims that both men were abused on Bartlett’s massage table.
Following the plea and sentence on Friday, a PSNI spokesperson said: “It takes courage for victims of all crimes, but especially crimes of a sexual nature, to come forward and report to police.
“We in the Police Service of Northern Ireland remain committed to investigating all reports of sexual offences. Please be assured that we have specially trained detectives who will treat all victims with sensitivity and respect – at every stage of the process.
“I would continue to encourage anyone who has experienced any form of sexual abuse to contact police on 101, or in an emergency call 999. Once you’ve made a report, you don’t have to come into a police station, detectives can arrange to meet you at a time and place that best suits you.”