The photo has been used for illustrative purposes.

Hamza M Sengendo, Staff Reporter

Around 15 massage spa workers pasted an inebriated client with swords, knives, cricket bats, cables and pipes for having robbed them at knifepoint, a jury heard on Thursday.

Five of the Asian masseuses – the mastermind, his aide, the spa’s watchman and two countrymen – appeared in court charged with taking part in waging a brutal assault on the Egyptian receptionist at a street in Al Muraqqabat.

He sustained multiple facial fractures and lost the right ear’s hearing sense besides losing smell and taste senses. His memory and balance were affected. Doctors described his condition as a 45 per cent permanent deformity.  Prosecutors charged the client with alcohol abuse and stealing three mobile phones, three sunglasses and two necklaces. He denied. The Criminal Court will question the others through a Vietnamese translator on Jul.8. Police and prosecution investigations showed the client had gone there to be massaged. However, he made up his mind and decided to rob. He fetched a knife from the kitchen and threatened to stab them.

The bloody incident happened at around 10pm on May 3 last year. A nearby building’s surveillance cameras captured it and helped identify those involved, according to records at Al Muraqqabat Police Station. The spa’s watchman said the client after arriving as a client started demanding workers to surrender money. “He hurled an extinguisher on my right leg. He brandished a knife in my face and placed it on my neck.”

“He stole my wallet, mobile and necklace. I and a friend ran out of the spa. Shortly, a masseuse contacted to alert me that the client was at the street threatening to stab my countrymen. I carried a metallic pipe. The client complained, “Five men and a woman intercepted me at the street. Three men had knives and another one had a pipe. One stabbed my head and the one with a pipe whacked my face. The woman kicked me.”

The client staggered and collapsed. Others joined the assault spree until he fell unconscious. A female Syrian motorist spotted them and honked the horn forcing them to flee. He was ambulanced to hospital in a coma. The motorist said, “I spotted a gang of men armed with tools including an electric cable, stick and sword attacking a knife-wielding man (the client). One hit his leg. When he collapsed, another hacked his head with a sword.”

A Pakistani mechanic said, “I saw around 15 men surrounding a man brandishing a knife trying to keep them away from him. Some of them had sticks and others had iron rods. They attacked him until he was motionless.”