Restaurant Owner on Trial for Sexual Assault Charges

Amy Roulston reported that Gunaseelan Manoharan, the owner of the popular Horsham restaurant Rooh, is standing trial on multiple charges of sexual assault against his teenage workers. Manoharan has denied the allegations, with his defence attorney claiming he was simply "a businessman who was not very good at running a business". The trial began on September 2 at Ballarat County Court, with the prosecution presenting evidence of the alleged assaults.

Key Takeaways:

• Gunaseelan Manoharan, the owner of Rooh restaurant, is on trial for one count of false imprisonment and six counts of sexual assault against teenage staff members.
• The allegations include locking a 16-year-old outside for half an hour, touching staff members under the guise of cleaning their uniforms, and making unwanted physical contact with staff.
• One of the charges involves an adult alleged victim who was hugged and kissed by Manoharan after mentioning the death of a family member.
• Manoharan's defence attorney claims that the alleged conduct was not sexual in nature and did not escalate, and that high staff turnover due to poor treatment of staff is not a criminal offence.
• The prosecution argues that Manoharan used the guise of cleaning uniforms and being a "bad employer" to cover up his alleged criminality.
• The trial will continue this week.

Statistics:

• 16-year-old victim was allegedly locked outside for half an hour on one occasion.
• 6 counts of sexual assault against teenage staff members.
• 1 count of false imprisonment.
• 2 teenage girls, 1 adult woman, and 2 staff members were allegedly assaulted.

Sources:

• Amy Roulston, "Lawyer claims he was simply 'not very good at running a business'".