Maitland masseur Merv Fullford sentence hearing delayed for sexually touching clients

Merv Fullford, now 65, was on Friday afternoon expected to face a sentence hearing in Sydney's Downing Centre District Court, including listening to victim impact statements from the many women he indecently assaulted or sexually touched between 2015 and 2020.

But his barrister Nic Moir told Judge Gina O'Rourke, SC, he had earlier on Friday confirmed a conflict of interest and had to withdraw from representing Fullford.

That meant the sentence hearing could not proceed and would have to be adjourned, a development that "inconvenienced" at least one of the women who had travelled from Newcastle to Sydney to view the proceedings in person.

A large number of other women were viewing the proceedings via audio visual link.

Fullford's matter is now listed on August 25 to get another sentence date.

He remains behind bars after sensationally pleading guilty to a number of charges in the middle of a four-week trial in May.

Fullford had pleaded not guilty to 28 charges of sexual touching and indecent assault relating to 14 clients between 2015 and 2020.

But two weeks into the trial, and after the jury had heard evidence from a number of women who told similar stories about being inappropriately or sexually touched by Fullford at his Maitland massage studio, the 65-year-old changed his pleas to a number of charges.

Fullford pleaded guilty to 10 counts of sexually touch another person without consent, three counts of indecent assault, one count of indecent assault on a person under the age of 16 and one count of sexual intercourse without consent.

Other charges were either subject to a directed verdict of not guilty, withdrawn by prosecutors as part of the plea negotiations or will be taken into account when Fullford is ultimately sentenced.

After Fullford pleaded guilty, his bail was revoked and he spent his first nights behind bars.

Fullford was a well-known and respected member of the Maitland sporting community and had worked for the Maitland Pickers rugby league club as well as with other junior sporting clubs in the area.

He also ran a remedial massage business out of a room in his Maitland home and it was there that he assaulted and sexually touched a number of the clients who came to see him for issues ranging from muscle or back pain to problems after pregnancy.

Detectives arrested Fullford in February 2020 after two women independently reported to police that he had inappropriately touched them during appointments at the massage business in Maitland.

After publicity of his arrest, more women came forward to make similar allegations and the charges ballooned to more than 28 before the trial.

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