A Vancouver laser hair removal worker pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault and one count of voyeurism in Vancouver Provincial Court on March 18.
Ali Aghasardar was initially charged with two counts of sexual assault and three counts of secretly observing and/or recording nudity in a private place.
The Vancouver Police Department launched an investigation in 2019 after one person reported being sexually assaulted during laser hair removal appointments at Dermabella Clinic near Howe and Smithe streets.
During that investigation, detectives identified a second victim who had allegedly been photographed while naked and receiving treatment at the clinic.
The charge information was amended by Judge Andrea Brownstone to include three complaints on a single voyeurism charge.
Brownstone read each of the two charges to Aghasardar which were translated by a Farsi interpreter.
Each time, Aghasardar said, “Yes, I plead guilty.”
The incidents for the counts to which Aghasardar pleaded guilty occurred between Aug. 19 and Oct. 9, 2019 and Aug. 20 and Oct. 9, 2019, respectively, the court heard.
The case now goes to setting dates for sentencing.
Civil lawsuits
Aghasardar is also facing civil lawsuits from eight women relating to allegations around his practice, a number that has risen since the case began.
All have filed B.C. Supreme Court notices of civil claim.
Glacier Media has chosen not the name the complainants in order not to violate criminal court rules on anonymity in sexual assault-related cases.
January notices of civil claim name Aghasardar, Dermabella Clinic and Seven Sky Wellness, as defendants. The latter two businesses are registered in West Vancouver, court documents said.
Aghasardar was suspended in October 2020 by the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of BC.
One claim said the defendants did not terminate Aghasardar or implement patient-safety protocols. Some allege the defendants were wilfully blind to Aghasardar’s misconduct.
“The opportunity afforded to Aghasardar to abuse his power in his employment by Dermabella Clinic and Seven Sky, was extremely high,” a Jan. 16 claim said.
“The defendants Dermabella Clinic and Seven Sky continued to employ Aghaardar for the provision of highly personal services to clients under circumstances of high vulnerability, power imbalance, and intimacy that created the conditions for Aghasardar to perpetrate the abuse of the plaintiff," that claim said.
One woman said she had appointments with him to remove pubic region hair between March 2020 and October 2021. Another woman said her appointments were between October 2020 and January 2022.
The women alleged Aghasardar used a heavy eye mask to blindfold them and then to “voyeuristic video and/or photographs . . . while she was unaware.”
One of the women allegedly saw a social media post warning about Aghasardar. She contacted police, who confirmed there were issues.
“The plaintiff was horrified at the recognition that she would likely have been the subject of Aghasardar’s 'voyeuristic video and/or photographs,'" the claim said.
The women are claiming multiple forms of damages.
None of the civil suit allegations have been proven in court.
Aghasardar has yet to file responses to the January claims.
Older lawsuits and responses
The two women’s cases come on the heels of earlier cases.
In a claim filed Jan. 21, 2022, a woman said she booked hair removal sessions between May and July 2019. She then booked further sessions.
She alleged on Aug. 20 and Oct. 9, 2019, Aghasardar engaged in sexual touching of intimate areas on the first occasion and went significantly further on the second.
In his April 8, 2022 response to the civil claim, Aghasardar denied any touching of a sexual nature.
“Any physical touching of the plaintiff that occurred during these sessions was incidental to, and a necessary part of, such treatment,” the response said.
“At no time, did the plaintiff directly complain to Dr. Aghasardar or to the clinic staff about her treatments at the clinic,” the response said. “Rather, after each of her treatments (including the two sessions which involved the alleged sexual assaults), the plaintiff booked a further appointment with Dr. Aghasardar, despite having the option to book the same treatment with a female hair removal technician.”
In a notice of civil claim filed Feb. 7, 2022, a woman said she purchased hair removal treatments in December 2020 for hair in the pubic region.
She said her eyes were covered, and that “Aghasardar then took surreptitious voyeuristic video and/or photographs of (her) pubic region while she was unaware.”
That case, however, sought certification of the claim as a class-action suit against Aghasardar.
In an Aug. 19, 2022 notice of civil claim response, the defendants said clients consent to having targeted hair removal regions photographed for “tracking progress, and measuring the effectiveness of the laser hair removal services provided.”
The response said Aghasardar’s cellphone is used to take client photos and, “within a reasonable time after a client concluded treatment with the clinic.”
The college suspension
After the 2022 charges Aghasardar was given a court-imposed condition not to be alone with any patient or client without another adult present for the duration of any treatment, police said.
Aghasardar was the subject of a complaint to the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of BC. The college received a complaint from a female patient alleging professional misconduct on Sept. 28, 2020.
The same day, the college received notification from police regarding the same conduct and that a criminal investigation was underway.
On Oct. 8, 2020, the college said Aghasardar consented to a registration suspension to remain in place until its inquiry committee has made a disposition decision.
The college website has not been updated information on the case.
