A Brampton man convicted of sexually assaulting a woman during a massage at a Mississauga wellness centre has been sentenced to six months in jail.

Zamin Khan, 44, was sentenced May 18. He will be on probation for 12 months after serving his sentence, Justice P. Andras Schreck ruled. He will also be added to the sex offender registry for 10 years.

Khan was not a Registered Massage Therapist (RMT), although his victim thought he was, Schreck noted in his sentencing decision.

Noting Khan was a first offender, Schreck rejected the Crown’s request for 15 months in jail, and the defence’s request for a nine month conditional sentence to be served at home.

“…in my view a six-month sentence (in jail) will appropriately denounce Mr. Khan’s conduct and drive home to him and others that his behaviour was unacceptable,” Schreck wrote in his sentencing decision.

The victim told the court in a victim impact statement that the assault had made her feel embarrassed and ashamed, she has withdrawn from friends and family. She is now less trusting of strangers and it “has changed me in a way that is not for the better.”

The court found Khan sexually assaulted the victim by touching her breasts and vaginal area during a massage at the Evergreen Wellness Centre. He also asked her out to dinner.

She discovered after the massage that he was not an RMT.

Schreck called the assault a “breach of trust” and said the victim was in a vulnerable position at the time.

“She was in a small room, alone with Mr. Khan and in a completely disrobed state,” Schreck noted.