Free massage came with unexpected cost

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OTTAWA â?? An attempt to save a few dollars by accepting a free massage from a stranger on Facebook ended instead with a spa owner trying to perform oral sex, a man testified in Ottawa court Monday.

The 29-year-old said he had gone to the Elee Salon and Spa on Bank Street on the evening of Nov. 19, 2008, after chatting with Elias Elhitti online. The man testified he had no idea who Elhitti was before a message landed in his Facebook account, but took him up on the offer because massages were expensive and Elhitti told him he needed the practise hours to qualify as a certified therapist.

The man testified he felt comfortable after Elhitti met him at the door and showed him around the â??beautifulâ? spa.

He said he started feeling uneasy when Elhitti told him to take off all his clothes.

The man, who said he covered himself with a sheet, said Elhitti had first massaged his back then he flipped over. Elhitti then began massaging his chest, shoulders and neck after fitting him with a bed mask and complimenting him on his body, he said.

The man testified Elhitti then brushed against his penis while massaging his right leg. About 30 seconds later, he felt a moist â??sensationâ? that he believed to be Elhittiâ??s mouth on his penis.

The man said he â??popped upâ? from the table and confronted Elhitti.

Elhitti apologized profusely, according to the man. â??He called it a tension release,â? the man said.

Enraged, the man said he got dressed and angrily confronted a crying Elhitti before storming out of the spa, which burned down about two months after Elhitti was charged. Elhitti, 41, has pleaded not guilty to sexual assault.

The man called police right away, but didnâ??t tell them about the oral sex until nearly two weeks later.

Elhittiâ??s lawyer, Michael Smith, suggested Elhitti told the man he had only invited him to the spa as a prank to find out if he was gay. Smith suggested the man became angry, calling Elhitti names and threatening to â??make him pay.â?

When Elhitti threatened to call police, the man said heâ??d call the police.

The man denied the allegations. He has since filed a nearly million-dollar lawsuit against Elhitti.

The trial continues.