WARNING: This story contains details of alleged sexual assault. Former massage therapist Kenneth Braun took the stand Thursday as the defence’s only witness in his sexual assault trial. Braun, 70, is charged with three counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual exploitation of a young person while in a position of trust or authority. The allegations span from 1996 to 2022 while Braun practiced massage therapy out of his basement on Boychuk Drive, and later in his garage studio on Degeer Street. Braun told the jury he got into massage therapy in 1994, after seeing the benefits first-hand. Braun testified that a former client, who was 17 at the time, took part in his thesis project. She has Raynaud syndrome, a condition that temporarily reduces blood flow to the fingers and toes, often in response to cold or stress. On Tuesday, the woman told the jury that Braun removed her underwear and massaged her without covering her with a sheet. She testified that he slapped her buttocks and inserted a finger into her vagina during massage appointments. The identities of the alleged victims are protected by a publication ban. Braun said he graduated from the Western College of Massage Therapy in Regina in June 1997 and went on to take more courses, including in Thailand and Costa Rica. Braun said a Russian medical massage course he took in 1997 involved “a lot of vibratory, moving the tissue back and forth to try and stimulate the nervous system to relax. ”Earlier in the trial, another former client testified that Braun used a vibrating tool between her buttocks. Massage clients choose what to wear, expert testifies Before Braun took the stand, the Crown called its final witness: Mieka Dueckman, an expert in draping, body positioning and client communication. She explained how therapists use sheets to cover parts of a client’s body during a massage. “Who gets to decide how much or how little clothing they wear?” asked senior Crown prosecutor Lana Morelli. “The client,” Dueckman responded. Dueckman said there is no situation in Saskatchewan where a client may be massaged completely naked, without a sheet covering parts of their body. She said covering genitalia is required under the Massage Therapist Association of Saskatchewan’s bylaws. Braun is expected to continue testifying on Friday.
