Latest news with #Khojsteh-Kashani
Global News
25-07-2025
- Global News
Defence seeks no jail time for B.C. spa owner convicted of sexually assaulting 7 women
A Burnaby spa operator convicted of sexually assaulting seven women while providing 'vaginal tightening' treatments should not spend any additional time behind bars, his lawyer has argued. A jury convicted Farshad Khojsteh-Kashani of seven counts of sexual assault in April, and he has been in custody since. At trial, jurors heard that many of the victims had come to him seeking other treatments when he introduced them to the invasive vaginal procedure, which is performed with an 18-centimetre wand. The trial heard that Khojsteh-Kashani had rubbed victims' clitorises and penetrated them with his fingers. The court heard he asked one victim if using the wand had 'turned her on' and asked another if she wanted him to 'finish her off.' On Thursday, defence lawyer Joel Whysall argued his client should be sentenced to a conditional sentence, to be served in the community, of two-years less a day followed by three years of probation. Story continues below advertisement 2:12 Sentencing hearing for Burnaby spa owner's sexual assault trial Whysall argued that Khojsteh-Kashani has no criminal record, is not a significant risk to reoffend, and has 'already forfeited so much' in terms of his career and business. 'This conviction, that's it. It's all in the garbage and will never come back,' he told the court, adding Khojsteh-Kashani has already been subject to public shaming and media attention. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The 52-year-old, who described himself on his website as 'Dr. Farshad,' is not licenced doctor in Canada, however was trained as one in Iran the court heard. On Thursday, Khojsteh-Kashani addressed the court through an interpreter, saying that before 'this happened to him' he had a 19-year career, including as a GP, where he saw approximately 100,000 clients, about three-quarters of them women, and that 'you cannot find even one complaint.' Whysall told the court Khojsteh-Kashani's offending was 'situational,' and limited to the use of the wand during the tightening procedures. He said Khojsteh-Kashani had obtained the device and thought he could handle using it, but could not. Story continues below advertisement 'He took leave of his senses due to the temptation … he gave in to his lust and temptation and he lost his mind,' he argued. 'We're not dealing with someone who's touched a child, he's not a pedophile.' On Wednesday, the court heard victim impact statements from the women Khojsteh-Kashani assaulted, who described the lasting emotional damage of the incidents. 'I trusted Farshad…but instead he betrayed my trust in the worst, violating way possible … He hurt me physically and psychologically,' one woman told the court 'I will never forget how vulnerable and violated I felt that day,' another said through tears. 'Just driving past the location in Burnaby sends chills through my spine.' Whysall argued the only aggravating factor in the case was the trust the women had placed in Khojsteh-Kashani, though he acknowledged he denied the offences and that he did not plead guilty, which could have been a mitigating factor. The Crown is seeking a sentence of 12 years and three months in prison and a lifetime entry on the sex offender registry. Khojsteh-Kashani has been in jail since April 2, when a B.C. Supreme Court jury found him guilty of seven sexual assaults at Fab Skin Care over two and a half years starting in 2019. Story continues below advertisement Justice Lisa Warren has reserved her decision until at least mid-September.
Global News
24-07-2025
- Health
- Global News
‘Predator': Crown seeks 12 years for B.C. spa operator convicted of sex assault
WARNING: This story contains disturbing content and graphic testimony and is not suitable for all readers A former Burnaby spa employee who said he provided what were described as 'vaginal tightening treatments' should spend a dozen years in prison, prosecutors argued on Wednesday. A jury convicted Farshad Khojsteh-Kashani of seven counts of sexual assault involving seven different victims in April. He was initially charged in 2022, after two women who received 'high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) vaginal tightening services' at Fab Skin Care in Burnaby went to police. Fraser Health subsequently advised anyone who had received the same procedure to be screened for sexually transmitted infections, because they were not provided by a registered health professional, and werent' done with appropriate infection control measures. On Wednesday, the court heard impact statements from all seven victims, four of whom read them personally. Story continues below advertisement 'I trusted Farshad…but instead he betrayed by trust in the worst, violating way possible … He hurt me physically and psychologically,' one woman told the court 'I will never forget how vulnerable and violated I felt that day,' another said through tears. 'Just driving past the location in Burnaby sends chills through my spine.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Other victims described struggling to get their health back to this day, and how the assault was 'humiliating, degrading and terrifying.' 1:20 Burnaby skincare clinic worker charged with sexual assaults The 53-year-old, who described himself on his website as 'Dr. Farshad,' is not a doctor, but a spa operator working in a 'largely unregulated' industry, Crown prosecutor Jacinta Lawson said. 'The lack of regulation resulted in a perfect environment for a sexual predator like Mr. Khojsteh-Kashani to operate,' she told the court. Story continues below advertisement Many of the victims had come to him seeking other treatments when he introduced them to the invasive vaginal procedure, which is performed with an 18-centimetre wand, she said. The harm caused was exacerbated by the degree of trust his victims put in him, Lawton told the court. She told the court there were actually nine assaults in total, with two of the victims assaulted twice. 'Mr. Khojsteh-Kashani made a conscious decision nine times to exploit these women's trust in him,' she told the court, adding that he did not stop when some of the women asked him to. Khojsteh-Kashani objectified women and 'treated the women as objects to use for his sexual pleasure,' she said. At trial, Khojsteh-Kashani denied assaulting any of the victims or that he performed the procedure in a sexual manner, and told the court he was always concerned with their comfort. The trial heard how Khojsteh-Kashani had rubbed victims' clitorises and penetrated them with his fingers. The court heard he asked one victim if using the wand had 'turned her on' and asked another if she wanted him to 'finish her off.' One victim said she felt like she had just had sex after the procedure, while another said it 'felt like he was using it like a sex toy.' Story continues below advertisement The Crown is seeking a sentence of 12 years and three months. Khojsteh-Kashani's defence is seeking a conditional sentence order followed by probation, and is expected to make its arguments on Thursday. Khojsteh-Kashani is also expected to address the court.
