Masseuse for trial

Press, 5 June 1982, Page 4

Masseuse for trial

A man said in evidence in the District Court yesterday that a masseuse had declined to have sex with him as an “extra" which he had requested from a city massage parlour, and that she had later returned to his hotel room with two men and robbed him.

The masseuse. Gaynor Joy Broadhurst, aged 21. and John Peter Diggle. aged 23. unemployed, elected trial by jury and denied a joint charge of robbing William Patrick O'Neill of $360 on April 30. After hearing depositions or statements of prosecution witnesses, Messrs C. A. Pilgrim and L. A. Hooker. Justices of the Peace, held there was sufficient evidence to commit the two for triah

'.Broadhurst was remanded • on bail of $3OOO in her/own' recognisance, and Diggle in custody to July 12, pending a date' for trial in the High Court.

Mr P. H. B. Hall, for Broadhurst, and Mr D. J.

Taffs, for Diggle. reserved their defence.

Mr O'Neill, a beneficiary, gave evidence of telephoning a' massae parlour while booked into a hotel, on the evening of April 29. He asked for a girl who provided extras.

He waited outside the hotel and . the defendant. Broadhurst, arrived in a' car with other persons. She and a man went upstairs to his room and he paid the man $35.

Broadhurst sat on his bed and he asked her how much were the extras and she then made a comment and left/ He told her she owed him $35, and in the hall where

she was about to pick up a telephone he took her wrist and she threw down $4O from her bag.

The witness went to his bed to get $5 change but the girl disappeared. He had shown the girl money totalling $4lO on top of a dresser and in an open drawer, to prove that he had sufficient money to pay her.

Later, the man who had been with her forced his way into the room and said. Mr O'Neill owed him $35. When told that the girl had done nothing, and had left after 20 seconds he asked for $5 "petrol money" and was given this.

About 1 p.m. that day he answered- a ' knock on the door and Broadhurst. Diggle. and another man entered. Broadhurst said "That's him. he owes me; $40,” and the men began hitting him about the head while the girl rushed into the room, saying to take all the money. Mr O'Neill said Diggle was the aggressor, and hit him over the eye, and he was hit two- or three times on the jaw by both men. Diggle caused most of the injuries.

He was knocked down and was bleeding fairly profusely.

He said his assailants scooped up the money and left. Diggle told him they would' kill him if he called the police.

He went to a bar and asked for the police to be called.

■ He was treated at hospital for his injuries, with stitches inserted in an injury' above an eye. To Mr Hall, the witness said he was aware, that it was illegal to receive money

for sexual favours, but arrangements had been made during the telephone call to the massage parlour. The girl just took off when he asked her for extras. Other evidence was given that a bar patron saw two men and a girl in the area of the hotel leading to the upstairs accommodation. He saw the girl signal to one of the men. ,Soon afterwards, a man entered the bar and said to call the police as he had been robbed.

The bar patron saw one of the men leave the bar. and a car drive off. There were several people inside, including a gjrl whose profile was similar to the one he had seen in the hotel. He noted the number of the car. and other evidence was that this was found to be registered in Diggle’s name.

Detective W. R. Mitchell gave evidence of calling at the Dial-a-massage parlour

to investigate the incident. Broadhurst told him she was the masseuse who went to the hotel to massage Mr O'Neill. Broadhurst said she went with her employer who then left. Mr O’Neill asked for sex which she refused. She left the room and while speaking on the telephone Mr O'Neill held her and would not let her go. He took $6O of hers.

She ran off. out of a window and down an outside landing. She saw her boss, Phil Brown, returning and told him about the incident and -he went into the hotel. Broadhurst denied returning to the hotel with two men in the afternoon to rob Mr O'Neill. - *’<> Detective Mitchell said Diggle was not found by police until about a month after ( the alleged robbery. When interviewed on May 29 he said he had never been to the hotel, and had not been with Broadhurst on April 30.