Jury mulls Qld massage rape verdict

A jury is weighing questions of consent raised in a trial involving a professional Brisbane massage therapist and two women he met on the dating app Tinder.

Philip David Turner has pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, related to two separate incidents in late 2019 and early 2020.

Sexual contact between the 42-year-old and the two women is not in dispute, but his lawyer Kim Bryson said Mr Turner denies the offences.

"He honestly and reasonably believed that (both women) were willing participants," she said on the opening day of the trial in the Brisbane District Court.

"After you've heard all of the evidence, that is the central question that you'll need to decide."

Under cross-examination, Turner told the court he believed it was clear the massages were not professional by the way he met the women and the messages exchanged.

Asked if he assumed that because he matched with someone on Tinder, they were interested in sexual contact, Turner replied: "I didn't assume anything".

He agreed he did leave the room while the women got undressed, as was normal practice for clients. He also spoke about dry needling therapy, and a tense neck and shoulders during their interactions.

Taking the jury through the evidence on Friday, Judge Deborah Holliday said there was no talk of payment or client documentation, and Turner was not wearing a uniform.

As well as weighing whether the alleged victims "freely and voluntarily" gave consent, Judge Holiday said the jury must also consider whether Turner had an "honest and reasonable" belief consent was given.

The case against him is that the women arrived at his Brisbane home expecting a "normal" massage.

"They expected it to be a professional, normal massage and each of them will tell you that they did not consent to any sexual contact with the defendant," crown prosecutor Edward Coker told the court on Tuesday.

"That is not how things played out for either of them."

After partially undressing "as one does", Turner began the massages before removing their underwear, Mr Coker said.

The rape allegations refer to digital penetration in the moments that followed.

The jury is now deliberating the verdict after three days of evidence including testimony by the alleged victims given in closed court.