I went to a plush hotel to interview for my dream job after I applied on a job site – when I got there, I was plied with alcohol and raped

A woman has revealed how she was brutally attacked after going for a job interview for what she thought was her ‘dream job’.

Vicky, 27, from London, was thrilled when she was offered a job as a massage therapist at a luxury hotel in the capital.

She was led to believe that the position, which carried the promise of on-the-job training, was based on hotels and exclusive clientele.

But in reality, the role did not exist. Instead, seedy massage parlour boss Raghu Singamaneni, 50, used the lure of work as a ruse to meet young women before plying them with alcohol and sexually abusing them.

The day after she was offered the job, Vicky was lured to a hotel for a “trial massage,” where the rapist raped her.

But Vicky, one of the four victims, found the courage to report him to the police and in June 2023 he was convicted of three counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault by penetration and one count of attempted rape.

He was sentenced to 16 years in prison, with a further two years suspended.

In an exclusive interview with Femail, Vicky spoke candidly about her ordeal, courageously waiving her right to anonymity to encourage other victims of sexual abuse to come forward.

She said: ‘I thought I had a good job. I thought I was completely safe. I had no idea there was a rapist behind the job advert.

“I’m still dealing with the aftermath, but I’m glad that animal couldn’t do this to anyone else.”

Vicky had registered on a recruitment app and uploaded her resume and photo. She had previously worked twice in cleaning via the app.

In March 2021, she was approached via the app by someone named Anna who told her about a vacancy for a massage parlor.

Vicky explained: ‘I was really excited but I had no experience and I told her, as we were talking on WhatsApp, she said it didn’t matter because I would learn how to do it.

“And when she said it was a job in hotels, with regular, private clients, it sounded luxurious.”

Vicky was asked to send in her measurements for the uniform.

‘I was very happy about it and told my friend Peter, then 39, who was very happy for me.’

The next day, Anna messaged Vicky saying that a client had booked a massage at a hotel in North London.

Vicky said: ‘She told me she had known him for years, that he was a regular customer and very nice.

“Things were happening faster than I expected and I told Anna that. But she reassured me. She even sent and paid for an Uber for me.”

But as Vicky sat in the taxi, the journey took ages and she got cold feet. She said: ‘I felt nervous and messaged Anna to cancel.

“She came right back and said, ‘It’s going to be okay! Just try it,’ so I just kept going.”

Vicky arrived at the hotel around 4:00 p.m. A man wearing a baseball cap was waiting for her in the parking lot.

Vicky said: ‘He smiled, shook my hand and told me his name was Trevor. I tried not to sound nervous and gave him my name too. Then we went in through a side door and up a flight of stairs to the first floor.’

Trevor took out her key card and led Vicky into one of the bedrooms.

Vicky said: ‘I thought it was strange that it wasn’t a treatment room, but he smiled and said: “Sit down.”

“I was sitting in a chair by the window. Then he handed me a cup and said, ‘Take a sip.'”

‘When I saw the bottle of vodka, I refused. But he kept insisting, so I drank it slowly while we chatted.’

When Vicky finished her drink he offered her another drink which she refused but he kept insisting and feeling uncomfortable she went to the bathroom.

Vicky recalled: ‘When I came out he had poured me another drink. I took a sip and felt dizzy for a few minutes afterwards.

‘Then Trevor asked me to put on the uniform that was on the bed: a sleeveless, blue silk top with white flowers on it and red pajama pants.’

Vicky went to the bathroom to change, pulling the top over her t-shirt, but decided to keep her own black leggings on. When she came out, Trevor was standing by the bed. He took off his shirt.

Vicky said: ‘I felt confused, but he smiled and said we were going to practice on his shoulders. I wondered then if it was really some kind of trial period… that maybe Trevor wanted to know if I could do the job.’

Vicky felt uncomfortable and started the massage, but he stopped her, telling her she was doing it wrong and that he would show her how it was done.

She said: ‘He massaged my shoulders and then told me to try again. I did, but after five minutes I said: ‘I can’t do it.’

Trevor told Vicky to sit down and finish her drink, but she still felt dizzy and light-headed, so she refused and went to the bathroom instead.

She recalled: ‘I was wondering how I was going to get out. When I came back up, Trevor suddenly pushed me onto the bed.

‘I was shocked, asked him what he was doing and wanted to get up, but he hissed ‘lie down!’ while pushing me again.

‘Then he took off his boxers and when he realized it, he pulled down my underwear and leggings.

‘I could barely breathe from fear, but I screamed “STOP”, tried to push him away, but he grabbed my right arm by the wrist and pulled it to my side. Then he raped me. Utter disgust rushed through me.’

Vicky kept telling him to stop, but ignored her pleas and continued, his weight pushing her down, until he finally got off her.

Vicky jumped up sobbing and told him she was going home. He told her he would book her an Uber and after putting on her clothes she climbed in when it arrived.

While in the taxi, she texted her boyfriend telling him she had been raped. She recalled: ‘Peter called me straight away. ‘What happened?’ he gasped.

“I told him I’d explain when I got back. Then I tried to message Anna, but she had blocked me. That’s when it hit me. Had the profile been fake – had it been Trevor all along?”

When Vicky got to Peter she broke down and told him everything. Shocked he insisted she tell the police and twenty minutes later she was at the station to give a statement.

An officer told her they needed her clothes for DNA. She also underwent a forensic medical examination at a sexual abuse referral center.

She said: ‘When I was there, I was given medication as a preventive measure against HIV, but they warned me that it would take three months before they could tell me if I was cured.’

When she got back to Peter, Vicky collapsed in his arms in total shock and in the days that followed she hit rock bottom.

She said: ‘I couldn’t eat or sleep. The attack kept going round and round in my head and I suffered from horrible flashbacks and nightmares.

‘When my life fell apart, I didn’t want to go out or see anyone. I would sit in the bath for hours scrubbing my skin – he had made me feel so dirty.’

Meanwhile, the police were investigating and when they reached Vicky, they told her that they had arrested and charged someone.

But his name wasn’t Trevor. It was Raghu Singamaneni and he pleaded not guilty.

Vicky said: ‘When my case officer told me it would mean a court case I was terrified. I don’t know what I would have done without Peter’s support. He and my friends kept me going.

‘It was also a relief when I heard that my HIV test result was negative.’

Through her agent she found out something else: she was not the only victim.

Singamaneni was also charged with sexual offences against three other women.

In March 2023, Raghu Singamaneni, 50, went on trial at Wood Green Crown Court. The court heard he ran two massage parlours in north London and lured his victims by offering them jobs.

Vicky said: ‘When it was my turn to give evidence I was behind a screen, but I was dreading going back to court for the verdict.

“Instead, my case officer called me. When I heard the word GUILTY, I cried with relief.”

Singamaneni was convicted of three counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault by penetration and one count of attempted rape. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison, with a further two years suspended.

Vicky said: ‘Afterwards Peter hugged me and told me how proud he was of me. I’m still suffering from the aftermath of it all but I’m glad that monster is behind bars.

‘I never expected a massage parlor rapist to be behind the vacancy. I never found out who Anna was, or if she even existed, but at least that beast can’t do it to anyone else.

‘And I would encourage anyone who has experienced something similar to contact the police. They will listen to you and support you.’