Instead, a court has heard, the 67-year-old woman was subjected to a "debasing sexual attack" by a masseur with a history of sexually and indecently assaulting his female clients.

On Friday, 44-year-old masseur Qing Cai "David" Wang was sent to jail for at least three years.

"He was employed to conduct therapeutic massage, not indulge his sexual passions," Downing Centre District Court Judge Martin Blackmore said as one of Wang's victims looked on.

"It was a gross breach or trust."

The court heard that the woman regularly attended the TCM Clinic on Burns Bay Road - now named the Zen Clinic - to receive acupuncture treatment and then a short massage.

On May 4, she had acupuncture treatment as usual but was then introduced to Wang as a "new massage therapist" who was filling in.

During the ensuing massage, Wang repeatedly ​penetrated the woman's anus with his finger as she lay, in a state of shock, on the massage table.

Afterwards he asked her: "How do you feel now?"

"I can't say I feel good," the woman replied. "That wasn't exactly a pleasant experience."

The woman went to police soon after, resulting in Wang's arrest.

A report of the arrest on Facebook led another female victim to come forward.

The woman, a breast cancer survivor, told police that, on two occasions, Wang had massaged her breasts.

"I'm just trying to open up your chest," Wang told the woman.

Judge Blackmore said the woman had initially thought the indecent assaults were "part of the therapy" because they had occurred in a clinic run by a doctor where all the practitioners wore white coats.

"She thought maybe she was a prude and perhaps this was a new way of doing massage."

Previous offences

It was not the first time the 44-year-old had committed sexual offences against those in his care.

In 2008, the Chinese massage practitioner was given a two-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to four counts of indecent assault in relation to two female clients at Shellharbour on the NSW South Coast.

Due to the almost total absence of regulation in the industry, Wang was able to continue practising, being given a position at the clinic of his sister-in-law, who was aware of his previous offending.

Wang pleaded guilty to the most recent offences - sexual intercourse without consent and indecent assault - in May this year, but only after Judge Blackmore ruled that his previous offending could be used as "tendency evidence" at trial.

During his sentencing on June 26, Wang told the court he was very remorseful for what he had done, and apologised to the 67-year-old woman.

"I want to say big apology to the woman and her family ... for the physical and psychological problems," Wang said.

He said that he had returned to massage therapy after the original convictions in order to support his young family, and had then "given in to temptation".

But Crown prosecutor Michael Pickin put it to Wang he had other employment options, and had assaulted the women for his own sexual gratification.

"No," he replied.

"I'm very sorry - so sorry," he told his sentencing hearing last week as the woman stared straight ahead, stony-faced.

Change of mind

On Friday, one minute before he was due to be sentenced, Wang said he wanted to withdraw his plea of guilty, effectively taking back his admissions about what he had done.

"Mr Wang instructs me to now seek leave to withdraw his plea of guilty," Wang's barrister, Paul Johnson, told the court as Wang's victim watched on.

Judge Blackmore was less than impressed.

"You pleaded guilty in front of me. You said you were guilty," the judge told Wang.

"You gave evidence in this court where you apologised to victims, indicated that you ... had given in to your sexual desires when you assaulted these women."

"I think you need to think about your situation very seriously."

Judge Blackmore sent Wang away for an hour to consider his position.

Wang then changed his mind.

Judge Blackmore sentenced Wang to a maximum of 4½ years in jail with a minimum of three years, which will expire on June 25, 2018.

He granted Wang a 7½ per cent discount on his sentence for the guilty plea, and a further reduction in the minimum sentence so that he could receive intensive treatment upon his release.