A convicted sex offender who posed as a massage therapist has been jailed after he molested four of his female clients.

Joseph Mooney was said to have “used his good looks and charm” and a fake qualification certificate to dupe the women into trusting him and allowing them into their homes after advertising his services on Facebook.

Maidstone Crown Court heard having invited his victims to “like” his profile page, he then messaged them offering treatments cheaply or for free.

One who was even encouraged to ask her friends to visit his “professional-looking” website, was then told she had “won” a massage, while another was greeted by Mooney arriving with a bottle of Prosecco he wanted to share.

As well as sexually assaulting his victims in their semi-clad, vulnerable state, the 44-year-old pervert would also position himself so they could feel he was aroused through his trousers against their head, arm, or hand.

Once he had finished, he would then ask them to fill in a customer satisfaction questionnaire, which they completed to bring their ordeals to an end.

It was following a report to police by one woman he had abused in December 2020 that he was arrested.

“A certificate purporting he had gained a qualification in massage therapy was fake…”

The investigation which followed then revealed three earlier victims and, on his laptop, a copy of a genuine qualification certificate which he had used to create his false one.

Other documents found included one relating to a DBS check which did not include his previous convictions in 2007 for sending an indecent electronic communication and in 2009 for exposure.

Mooney, who is also known as Joseph Reed-Mooney, was also convicted last year for sexual offences committed on a child between 2011 and 2013, and for which he was handed a community order.

Three of his four massage victims were living in the Sittingbourne area at the time, with the other believed to be in Essex, and all were said to have suffered “significant, powerful and ongoing” psychological harm as a result.

One said she was left feeling “disgusting” and resorted to bathing in bleach. Another who described herself as being “fooled” by him ended up in hospital.

Mooney, who was residing on the Isle of Sheppey but now has an address in Woodgrange Gardens, Enfield, Middlesex, pleaded guilty in January this year to four offences of sexual assault, all committed between October and December 2020, and one of possessing an article for use in fraud.

At his sentencing hearing yesterday (Wednesday, November 20), prosecutor Craig Evans said: “This case concerns four separate and entirely unconnected, female victims who were duped by this defendant into receiving home massage services on the back of his business profile he advertised via Facebook.

“A certificate purporting he had gained a qualification in massage therapy was fake. Other documents found include a DBS certificate.

“There is dispute as to how he came into possession of it but he does have previous convictions not recorded on that document provided as part of his business.”

Mr Evans said with all four women Mooney, who now works as a timber delivery driver, resorted to a similar “modus operandi” in terms of contact via social media and then his conduct once performing the massages.

“I let you into my home. I paid for you to massage me but basically paid you to sexually assault me...”

It was in November 2020 that his final victim in time, albeit the first to report it to police, was sent an unsolicited Facebook message by him advertising his mobile set-up with a hyperlink to his business profile.

Having done no more than clicked the link and liked the page, she then received a message offering her a massage for just £10.

Mr Evans said it would have been “implausible” for a viable and legitimate business, as it was asserted to be by the defence, to be providing services at such “extremely low” prices or even for free.

It was then arranged for him to attend her home the following month and, having set up his table in her living room, he began the massage.

But in spite of being instructed to concentrate on her shoulders and back, Mooney’s “therapy” took a more sinister turn.

The court heard that not only did he pull her knickers aside to rub her buttocks, but he also “caressed” her breasts.

There was further indecent touching after Mooney, having reached her bikini line, told her he had never gone “so low” but “If it feels right, it feels right.”

Describing how the assault had unfolded, she told police she felt “dazed and tense.”

“I felt uncomfortable but I didn’t say anything,” she said. “I think I just froze.”

She also revealed that having not had a massage before, she did not know if his behaviour was “normal” or not.

It was after an eerie pause of one to two minutes when he stopped the massage and was silent that he began to touch her intimately, the court heard.

Despite her telling him to stop, he carried on. He asked her if she “liked” it and was told “No”, but Mr Evans said it was only when the woman’s concerned mother came into the room that Mooney stopped, packed up and left.

He later messaged the victim, saying she was his last client and that he had had “enough of it” but asking if she had “enjoyed the massage.”

The incident was then reported to police and Mooney was arrested. He denied any sexual assault and even presented his fake certificate as “proof” of his professionalism.

Having released him on bail, police enquiries lasting many months then traced other customers who he had molested.

“No woman… would agree to an intimate body massage if they knew the defendant did not have a qualification…”

He had introduced himself to one woman by sending her a Facebook friend request, claiming to be a newly-qualified masseur and offering his services for herself and a friend for just £25.

She later described him as “pushy, charming and very persistent”, with “all the appearances and hallmarks” of a qualified professional.

But having touched her inappropriately, he apologised - and then asked her to complete a questionnaire.

“This was a similar pattern (with his victims) and they would provide a response that it was satisfactory in order to end the appointment as soon as possible and avoid any further confrontation,” said the prosecutor.

His third victim, the one he greeted with alcohol, described how he began the massage with her laying on her back, with her top half covered.

However, he then placed a towel over her face before his fingers “wandered” under her knickers. He also touched her breasts.

The woman was also asked to fill in a questionnaire. “She lied about her level of satisfaction because she wanted him to leave,” added the prosecutor.

He also continued to message her on social media offering a free massage, which she ignored and then blocked him.

The court heard she did not report Mooney to police herself because she feared she would not be believed.

His fourth victim told police that he handed her a towel “far too small for purpose” and, when she raised her concerns about having a massage, he “reassured” her that he “saw numerous women each week” and there was “nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“You fooled me and abused your looks and charm. The incident led to one of the worst days of my life…”

Having then been asked to massage her lower legs, he ignored her request and ventured “too high” up her thigh, the court heard.

He also pressed himself against her arm before “forcefully” massaging her breasts at his suggestion of releasing “knots” in that area.

Again, the price to pay was low.

“This was essentially part of the defendant’s MO,” said Mr Evans. “Cheap massages offered along with fake certificates which enabled him to gain access to their addresses and the trust of the four victims involved, and ultimately the massages led to the sexual assaults described.”

Each detailed what the judge described as the “profoundly damaging” impact of his depravity in their statements, with one woman bravely appearing in court to read hers aloud.

She told Mooney, who was supported by his wife sitting in the public gallery, that she worried there were other women who had also suffered at his hands but had not spoken out.

“I let you into my home. I paid for you to massage me but basically paid you to sexually assault me,” she said.

“It has made me realise how vulnerable I am. I used to think I was a really good judge of character but the last three years, now four, have shown me that isn’t the case.

“You fooled me and abused your looks and charm. The incident led to one of the worst days of my life.”

Having described how she had initially “laughed and brushed it off”, she added: “He abused his powers as a good-looking man and a moment of fun for him has caused years of issues for me.”

“Even now I feel an aggression towards males if they speak inappropriately…”

The woman who first reported him to police said she had been left to feel like “a toy” for men.

“Even now I feel an aggression towards males if they speak inappropriately. Sometimes I just cannot handle it, my brain will just switch and I feel all men are just pigs,” she stated.

Another described being “on edge” for months and “in a dark place”, while one said she even feared Mooney would stalk her.

Despite his initial arrest in late 2020, it was not until September last year that Mooney was charged - a delay his lawyer argued was a “significant” mitigating factor having spent the intervening years on bail with “freedom-restricting” conditions.

Andrew Morris also told the court that as well as marrying and working full-time, his client, who has 21 convictions recorded against him including offences of dishonesty and burglary, had not re-offended since 2020.

Furthermore, he said Mooney had demonstrated both remorse and understanding of the impact on his victims by way of his guilty pleas and a letter he had written to the court.

But his argument that the massage business was set up for financial reward, with the sexual assaults being opportunistic, was rejected by Judge Julian Smith, as was the suggestion that he could be spared immediate custody.

Jailing Mooney for three years and four months, he said he had duped his victims with his professional-looking website, backed up by false claims as to his qualifications and good character.

Referring to what he saw as the “difficulty” in separating the fact that he had fraudulently created the business and then engaged in “persistent sexual touching”, he added: “It was quite a specific and deliberate choice on the defendant’s part to explore this kind of business that would give him the opportunity with women under his control and care.

“No woman, and certainly not the women who have spoken of the impact of these offences, would agree to an intimate body massage if they knew the defendant did not have a qualification and had simply manufactured one on his computer, that he was not of good character and that he was in their home under false pretences.”

“Mooney is an appalling predatory individual who has left women feeling violated by his actions…”

Judge Smith agreed that the delay had been “unconscionable” for all concerned and that it had been taken into account along with other personal mitigation when deciding the appropriate punishment.

But he said the “degree of manipulation, dishonesty and persistence” involved in Mooney’s conduct led to him concluding that there was a significant risk of him committing further offences.

On his release, Mooney will be subject to indefinite sex offender notification requirements and sexual harm prevention order.

Detective Constable Gemma Willis said: “When women receive a massage to assist their recovery from injury or other ailments they expect to be treated by a qualified professional.

“These victims placed their trust in Mooney who had falsified his credentials. He then went on to abuse them when they were at their most vulnerable.

“Mooney is an appalling predatory individual who has left women feeling violated by his actions.

“I can only hope his imprisonment allows them some closure following the ordeal they all suffered.’