*This article contains details that may be sensitive for some readers* Jeffrey Young was sentenced to three in years in prison for repeated assaults on four former clients, who suffered of “inappropriate touching.” Young was convicted by Justice Scott Pratt in December 2025 to seven counts of sexual assault and one count of mischief. Young was acquitted of two other charges of sexual assault and a third was stayed by the court. “The assaults perpetrated on the victims were brazen and damaging,” Pratt wrote in his July 29 sentencing decision. “This touching varied among victims and included manipulations of the breasts and repeated touching of vaginal areas. Victims also complained of being improperly covered during their massages, leaving private areas of their bodies exposed unnecessarily.” Pratt said Young breached his position of trust and took advantage of the “power imbalance” between a registered massage therapist (RMT) and a client. “That trust made them overlook what was happening and, in some cases, continue seeing the Offender despite their better judgment,” the judge wrote. Victim Impact One of the victims told the court she no longer trusts massage therapists, and she struggles with guilt for not speaking up sooner. Young’s mischief conviction comes from going into the backyard of one of his assault victims and cutting down a tree without permission. That woman told the court she remains fearful for her own safety and that of her family. She too struggles with trusting massage therapists. Sex Offender Registry Young begged the court to let him serve his punishment on house arrest with an ankle monitor and keep his name off the Sex Offender Information Registration Act (SOIRA). “I reject the offender’s submission that he should be viewed more generously as he was, in his words, “only an RMT.” Pratt wrote. Young has not reoffended since he was charged five years ago, no longer provides massage therapy and his criminal record is old and “not relevant.” However, Pratt felt those mitigating factors were outweighed by the public’s need for protection. “(Young’s) offences are very serious and struck at the heart of relationships of trust,” the judge wrote. “Over and over, he exploited that trust.” Young’s name will be on the SOIRA for life, but he can apply to have his name removed in 2046. “I find these offences reveal a pattern of behaviour that shows an increased risk of future sexual offending,” the judge concluded. Three years in prison The judge found the repeated nature of the assaults by a person in a position of trust demanded a prison term. Justice Pratt sentenced Young to varying lengths in custody, from four to six months for each of the sexual assaults, to be served consecutively. The total sentence is 36 months or three years in prison. “(The sentence) would reflect the seriousness of the Offender’s crimes and recognize the impact they have had on the victims,” Pratt wrote. “It would also emphasize the justice system’s evolving understanding how serious and damaging sexual offences can be.”
