Part-owner of Life Ready Physio chain Luke Tham Sheng-En jailed for sexually assaulting young women during massage treatments

A man who previously co-owned one of Western Australia’s largest physiotherapy chains has been jailed for almost a decade for sexually assaulting teenage girls and young women.

Luke Tham Sheng-En, 42, was a ‘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 who Tham then hired to work at the clinics before attacking them, Perth Crown Court heard.

He told the victims they needed massages from him so they could understand how physical therapy worked ABC reported.

The court heard he ‘manipulated and groomed’ the young women and ‘[used] his position of authority to betray their trust and insult them’.

Luke Tham Sheng-En (pictured), previously co-owner of one of Western Australia’s largest physiotherapy chains. has been convicted of sexually abusing teenage girls and young women

Most of the victims were patients who Tham then hired to work at the clinics before attacking them, the Perth District Court (pictured) heard.

Tham told a teenage girl that he could help treat her acne by massaging her stomach to “remove toxins.”

He then sexually penetrated her against her consent in a treatment room.

He also indecently assaulted the same girl by massaging her breasts, claiming he had found a lump and had to check it.

Another teenager, whose mother or grandmother usually came to sessions with her, was told by Tham that she had “knots” in her breast tissue that needed to be treated.

He then 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 might 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 reported it after the fact.

Mr Ling also questioned why some of the other victims did not initially report the abuse to police and continued to work at the clinics.

But Judge Laura Christian said: “Many victims don’t complain until they are ready… and sometimes never complain.”

Tham was stepped down as director at the end of 2020 when his business partners heard about the first complainant, and he 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 their victim impact statements, one girl said she found it difficult to leave the house after Tham attacked her, and another girl stopped going to school.

“I think I’ve had a shadow over me for so long,” one of the victims said told ABC’s Rebecca Trigger.

“When I heard about what everyone else has been through, I thought, ‘Oh my God… I’m not alone.’

“Every other girl has spoken out, I’m incredibly proud of them too.”

Tham (pictured) told a teenage girl he could help treat her acne by massaging her stomach to “remove toxins.” He then sexually penetrated her in a treatment room against her consent

Tham was convicted of three counts of sexual penetration without consent and seven counts of unlawful and offensive assault, and was 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.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)