A man who previously co-owned one of Western Australia’s largest physiotherapy chains has been sentenced to almost 10 years in jail for sexually assaulting teenage girls and young women.
Luke Tham Sheng-En, 42, was the “managing partner” of three Life Ready Physio branches when he assaulted the woman during massage treatments at his clinics between 2017 and 2020.
Most of the victims were patients Tham then hired to work at the clinics before attacking them, Perth District Court heard.
He told the victims that they needed him to give them massages so they would understand how physical therapy worked, the ABC reported.
The court heard he “manipulated and groomed” the girls and “(used) his position of authority to violate their trust and offend them.”
Luke Tham Sheng-En (pictured), who previously co-owned one of Western Australia’s largest physiotherapy chains. He has been jailed for sexually assaulting teenagers and young women
Most of the victims were patients Tham hired to work at the clinics before attacking them, Perth District Court (pictured) heard.
Tham told a teenage girl that he could help her treat her acne by massaging her stomach to “eliminate toxins.”
Then, in a treatment room, he sexually penetrated her against her consent.
He also indecently assaulted the same girl by massaging her breasts, claiming he had found a lump and needed to check them.
Tham told another teenager, whose mother or grandmother often attended sessions with her, that she had “knots” in her breast tissue that required treatment.
Then he attacked her the first time she was treated without a family member present.
Tham’s lawyer, John Ling, said that while four of the victims may not have complained because they wanted to keep their jobs, it was not credible that this girl would not have screamed if she had been abused, or would not have reported it afterwards.
Ling also questioned why some of the other victims did not report the assaults to police at first and remained working at the clinics.
But Judge Laura Christian said “many victims do not complain until they are ready… and sometimes they never complain.”
Tham was removed as a director in late 2020 when his business partners learned of the first whistleblower and sold his shares in the company in May 2021.
Judge Christian said Tham had “a significant power imbalance” over his victims and the effects of his abuse were “profound and lifelong”.
In her victim impact statements, one girl said she found it difficult to leave the house after Tham assaulted her, and another stopped going to school.
“I think I had this shadow over me for a long time,” one of the victims told ABC’s Rebecca Trigger.
‘Listening to what everyone else has been through, I thought, “Oh my God… I’m not the only one.”
“All the other girls spoke up, I’m incredibly proud of them too.”
Tham (pictured) told a teenage girl he could help her treat her acne by massaging her stomach to “eliminate toxins”. Then, in a treatment room, he sexually penetrated her against her consent.
Tham was found guilty of three counts of sexual penetration without consent and seven counts of unlawful and indecent assault and sentenced to nine years and 10 months in prison.
He will be eligible for parole in February 2032.
Life Ready was later sold to private health insurer HBF and now operates 22 clinics in Perth and Melbourne.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the company for comment.
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