A MUM broke down in tears as she told a jury how a Chinese acupuncturist carried out a sex attack on her during a consultation.

Hong Yu was treating the woman for psoriasis at the Chinese Medical Centre in the Brunel Centre when he indecently assaulted her, Swindon Crown Court was told.

But he claims that he did nothing wrong and that the patient, who cannot be named for legal reasons, moved herself so he touched her as he carried out a massage.

The 46-year-old woman told the jury she had visited the centre to get alternative treatment for the skin condition which had affected her since she was a teenager.

However during one of her treatments Yu, 47, first tried to kiss her and then on two occasions touched her inappropriately, she said.

When she first visited the centre she was spoken to by a young man in the reception area who introduced her to Yu, who he referred to as 'The doctor' and spoke very poor English.

She agreed to a ten-week course of treatment and was given herbs and pills to take between her weekly treatments.

Typically she said she first showed Yu her patches of psoriasis on her face, elbows and lower legs with the receptionist acting as an interpreter.

She would then undress before he inserted acupuncture needles into the patches before massaging the woman, who kept her underwear on at all times, to complete the treatment.

However in the weeks leading up to the alleged assault she said he started behaving differently towards her asking on one occasion if he could kiss her, she said.

On May 4 last year she turned up for her appointment at 11.30am but instead of looking at her psoriasis he just asked her to undress, she said.

While the needles were inserted in her face she said she kept her eyes closed but felt him raise her upper lip and lick her teeth.

Thinking he wanted to kiss her she said she told him 'No' through clenched teeth and shook her head so he stopped and carried on with the treatment.

Minutes later she said she was lying on her stomach when he indecently assaulted her.

At the same time she said that he placed her hand, which was at her side, on his groin area.

"I felt completely vulnerable, he had taken the trust away. He was a doctor," she said.

He then turned her over and again touched her indecently as she lay on her back, she said.

"I was just emotionless," she said. "I was just so upset and scared and frightened; all types of fear really."

She said she was 'frozen' by fear went into auto-pilot paying for some medicines and leaving before telling a friend on the phone what had happened.

The woman made a statement to police after leaving Swindon and driving to her Wiltshire home following the alleged assault.

Yu was arrested at the shop later that day.

When he was questioned, Yu told police that he had done nothing wrong saying that the woman had manoeuvred herself on the bed so that he touched her private parts.

Yu, of Braintree, Essex, denies a sex charge.

The case continues.

Jamie Hill