Woman who says she was sexually assaulted by Calgary massage therapist testifies she felt 'scared, frozen'
A Calgary woman who says she was sexually assaulted by a massage therapist testified Tuesday she felt "scared, frozen" during the encounter.
Angel Tinco Zambrano, 44, is on trial on a charge of sexual assault. He was working at Bare Esthetics in northeast Calgary at the time of the alleged crime.
Prosecutor Andrew Barg suggested jurors might wonder why the alleged victim didn't scream or tell Tinco Zambrano to stop.
"Use your life experience and common sense to understand how a person in this situation might feel and might react," he told the jury.
The young woman, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, was Barg's first witness.
She told jurors that on Nov. 21, 2016, she got a massage from Tinco Zambrano.
'Waited for it to stop'
The woman testified that he began massaging her in a regular way but then put his hands under her underwear.
At first, she thought "maybe it was just a mistake," but eventually the massage therapist's actions became more deliberate and blatantly sexual.
She testified she felt "confused, scared, frozen; I didn't really know what to think or what to do."
"I just laid there and waited for it to stop," she said.
Afterward, she said, Tinco Zambrano told her "this stays between you and me" before he wrote his name and number on a piece of paper and handed it to his client, telling her to "call me."
She testified she left the clinic and sat in her car crying. Then, the woman called her sister, who took her to a police station and then to a clinic to have a sexual assault examination.
Defence suggests consent
Based on cross-examination questions, the defence isn't denying the sexual activity took place, just whether it was consensual.
The woman admitted to having an orgasm. Defence lawyer Elizabeth Weisenburger suggested she wanted a "spontaneous erotic experience" and enjoyed it but "got carried away and regretted it after."
The witness said that while she did have a physical reaction to the touching, she never consented and never wanted the sexual encounter.
She said she felt frozen during the experience and didn't know how to react.
The trial continues Wednesday before Court of Queen's Bench Justice Michele Hollins.
