Body piercer accused of raping clients 'insisted' that teenagers have both nipples pierced and staff found them naked in his salon, court heard

Today, a body piercer was heard in court, accused of rape and sexual assault on clients, described by a former employee as “predatory”.

Terri-Marie Harrison's former assistant said Paul Saunders also “insisted” when he tried to persuade teenagers to get both nipples pierced when they visited his studio to have just one done.

She claimed that another staff member resigned after he noticed a customer leaving the room and when he entered he found him naked.

Saunders, who runs Scarz & Barz in Ipswich, Suffolk, is said to have used his job as a cover to exploit “vulnerable” young women.

Prosecutors say he became aroused by piercing women, touched women inappropriately and took photos of their private parts.

His former assistant told Ipswich Crown Court today that Saunders was “insistent” when he tried to persuade teenagers to have both nipples pierced if they wanted just one.

Some of the photos were allegedly stored on his phone.

He denies three rapes, six sexual assaults and one count of assault by penetration.

Miss Harrison, who worked for the defendant for three years from 2014, said at least one 16-17-year-old girl saw him every day having his nipples pierced.

Many of them came from nearby Suffolk New College and continued their education.

She told police: “He was just over the top, a bit touchy and a bit predatory with people.

“He was very pushy with people and he gave them a hug – and it was a big hug. People would feel uncomfortable and he would insist.

“He would tell young girls, 'Okay, get dressed and then I'll hug you.'”

“Sometimes people would come in to get their ears pierced and he would ask if they wanted something a little more adventurous and show them pictures.”

Miss Harrison said she left her job after Mr Saunders, 51, criticized her when she “was really angry about the way he was talking to customers”.

She described how another employee was fired when a customer came out of his room and told her, “Oh, you don't want to go in there.”

The employee entered the room and lost her temper when she allegedly found Saunders naked and said, “Maybe you should stop sleeping with customers.”

Giving evidence at Ipswich Crown Court from behind a screen, Miss Harrison said her boss would try to persuade women to have both nipples pierced, adding: “There weren't many cases where he gave in.”

After questioning by Vanessa Marshall, KC admitted that many of the women brought a friend with them or employed a woman as a caregiver.

Mrs. Marshall told her, “Mr. Saunders was a good salesman, wasn't he?” He had a chat. He lived for the studio. He wanted to act and make money.

“He was passionate about piercings and encouraged people to get them.”

The alleged offenses came to light when, during the Covid pandemic, Saunders posted a statement on Facebook in which he claimed to be an “essential worker” and that he had tested negative, the court heard.

Many people took issue with the April 2020 post, with his ex-girlfriend putting up a poster with a photo of his face on a lamp post, accompanied by the message “free hugs with every piercing” – but the word “hugs” was crossed out and replaced with “groping.”

This triggered a stream of complaints from women about Saunders' behavior, said prosecutor Rossano Scamardella KC.

Paul Saunders' former assistant claimed another employee resigned after finding him naked just minutes after a client left his room

Police were contacted after a private Facebook group called Safe Space was created for anyone who claimed to have been his victim.

Saunders was arrested at his apartment on April 29, 2020, and when interviewed by police said he was surprised he wasn't arrested sooner “because this has been building up for some time and he has upset some people,” Scamardella told judges. .

He claimed that “some people who thought he scared them created a Me Too group on Facebook” and gathered to “take out their anger on him.”

Prosecutors say Saunders gained a reputation as a “status man” after his appearance in a television documentary and used it to gain the trust of “vulnerable” young women.

It says Saunders – whose profile on his company's website has been “a piercer for almost 13 years and has a wealth of experience” – allegedly placed illegal photos of unsuspecting clients in a password-protected folder on his phone, saving them “for his own sexual gratification.”

Saunders is said to have placed illegal photos of unsuspecting customers in a password-protected folder on his phone and saved them “for his own sexual gratification.”

It is also alleged that during treatments he made “inappropriate comments about the size of women's breasts” and asked clients to hug him “in a sexual manner” after piercing.

Five-minute piercings often lasted up to 45 minutes, the jury was told, with staff finding the duration “unusual” and suggesting something “more sinister at play”.

Outside the studio, Saunders, known by his nickname Poz, allegedly attacked one woman in his home.

The court heard that after missing the bus, she agreed to go to the defendant's flat, where she froze when he appeared topless and began to undress her.

The woman was “crying… hyperventilating (and) scared” before she managed to escape from the property without a bra or socks.

A friend who met her said she was “white as a ghost and shaking like a leaf,” Scamardella said.

Another victim is said to have been raped after confiding in Saunders that she was being treated for cancer.

Jurors were told they would also hear about a woman the defendant met when she was 17 who was attacked while she slept.

Saunders' studio, Scarz & Barz, in Ipswich, where he is said to have attacked his clients

Saunders allegedly created an account on FetLife – a social networking site for fans of bondage, domination and fetishism – where he posted photos of vaginal piercings he had made.

In his profile, he described himself as having “big hands that can spank you and the strength to pin you down,” the jury was told.

Opening the case, prosecutor Rossano Scamardella KC said: “Mr Saunders felt sexually aroused in his job and used his piercing profession to mask the sordid reality.

“He assaulted some women while having their private piercings performed, pretending that the sexual touching was nothing more than what the piercing required.

“These procedures are invasive, delicate and extremely intimate, and he preyed on feelings of embarrassment and awkwardness and exploited the vulnerabilities of those who trusted him.

“But he also assaulted women outside of work and frequently contacted women after surgery. He was an opportunist.

Elsewhere, the court heard that Saunders insisted on telling police that he had installed security at his studio and that receptionists asked whether clients were comfortable when they left his treatment room. He claimed that the studio also has CCTV cameras.

He confirmed that he had pierced the nipples of girls over the age of 16, but had only been piercing their genitals for over 18 years.

All customers were asked to show proof of age, and those with genital piercings usually “requested someone to accompany them.”

He said: “If any person felt they had been touched inappropriately they would say, 'Oh, get off' and it would be seen on CCTV.”

Scamardella added: “He made the extraordinary claim that many people had orgasms while he was piercing them.”

Saunders then stated that he always acted “professionally” and turned his back when clients were getting dressed after treatment.

He denied touching anyone inappropriately and insisted he only took photos of his work to clients with their consent.

However, he added that he later stopped doing this “for his own protection” and instead started asking customers to take photos of themselves and send them if he wanted.

Saunders told police he hugged customers after they got dressed, and this included “customers young and old, men and women.”

He added that if someone doesn't want a hug or “shows discomfort,” he won't give one.

Saunders also denied that he sexually assaulted one woman by drawing dots on her breasts in preparation for a piercing and then “did it repeatedly,” saying his previous efforts were “dodgy.”

He admitted that he sometimes draws smiling faces or the words “boyfriend's property” on his chest, but only with the clients' consent.

Saunders claimed that the alleged rapes at his home were actually consensual sexual in nature.

The process continues.