Detectives are now requesting that anyone else who may have been sexually assaulted by him come forward.
Mongkhon Thopwan, 54, of North End Road, West Kensington, was sentenced on Friday, 24 June, at Isleworth Crown Court after being convicted on Monday, 21 March, of five counts of assault by penetration and one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without their consent after a six-day trial.
I applaud the tremendous courage and bravery of these two women, as without their evidence we would not have been able to remove this sexual predator from our streets,” said Detective Constable Natalie Witt of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command.
Because of the nature of the crimes, no forensic or CCTV evidence was available, and the convictions were secured solely through the powerful testimonies of these women. I would urge anyone who has been the victim of a similar attack to contact the authorities.”
The court heard from two separate victims that Thopwan had abused his position of trust as a masseur by sexually assaulting them on two separate occasions, seven months apart. The attacks were reported to police by both women.
“I considered keeping this serious assault a secret and staying silent because I really, really couldn’t bear the thought of ever repeating what happened,” the second victim, who goes by the alias Molly, has since said. It felt strange, humiliating, and hideous. It hurts to think about the anger, sadness, and anxiety that would have eaten at my soul if I hadn’t said something.” “Running on adrenaline and complete panic, I called my best friend, and she persuaded me to call the police, and oh gosh am I glad I did, because it was instantly ‘not my secret.’ It was ‘away’ from me, ‘away’ from my heart, ‘away’ from my soul. As a result, I had an incredible supportive network holding me up and tight. This man was arrested within an hour of telling the police what happened and spent three months in jail before being released under strict conditions.”
On November 1, 2020, a woman in her twenties went to the Thai massage parlour at Nine Lucksa on North End Road in West Kensington for massage therapy. Thopwan was arrested two days later and released on strict conditions while detectives continued their investigation.
The investigating officer informed Hammersmith and Fulham Borough Council of the offence. Due to the pandemic, the premises were closed at the time.
The Met’s licencing team collaborated with Hammersmith and Fulham Council to ensure that neither Thopwan’s therapist’s licence nor Thai Massage Nine Lucksa’s business licence were renewed. Both took effect on December 1, 2020.
On 17 June 2021, a second victim, a woman in her 30s, was sexually assaulted at the same location. Thopwan was apprehended on June 18, 2021.
On June 19, 2021, he was charged with the aforementioned offences and remanded in custody. Thopwan was not registered to work at the time.
DC “Thopwan is an extremely dangerous offender who targeted these women when they were most vulnerable,” Natalie Witt added. “Their crucial evidence led to his conviction and ensured Thopwan cannot subject anyone else to such horrific attacks.” I would like to remind anyone who has been a victim of a similar attack to contact us directly and quote 8803/02NOV20.
“We have specially trained officers on hand to assist and support you.”
If you need to speak with someone for the first time, contact us through a third-party support group such as The Havens or London Survivors Gateway, which provide a 24/7 urgent advice number.
