Jan 2025, 16:30 GMT
A Leeds woman who was sexually assaulted by a personal trainer during a massage in her own home is today bravely speaking out in the hope that it inspires others.
Rhiannon Boardman, 24, who was sexually assaulted at her home in Burley by a personal trainer, has today taken the brave step to waive her right to anonymity, automatically granted under the Sexual Offences Amendment Act, in a bid to tackle stigma. Senior police officers have praised her for her “immense bravery”.
Her attacker, Naeem Ahmed, 28, of Elford Grove in Harehills, was found guilty of sexual assault following a three-day trial at Leeds Crown Court, the court has confirmed.
Ahmed, who pleaded not guilty – which prolonged the process and meant the victim had to wait more than a year for justice – was sentenced to two years in prison on Monday, January 13.
Speaking exclusively to the YEP following the hearing, Rhiannon said that she felt a weight lifted from her shoulders as the sentence was passed. She said she was compelled to share her story with others to “raise awareness of sexual assaults and break the stigma surrounding it”.
She has also committed to running a gruelling 10 half-marathons this year to raise funds for Victim Support, the charity she said helped her as she struggled with the after effects and trauma caused by the attack.
“I think the biggest thing for me is that when it first happened I felt so alone,” she told the YEP.
“I didn’t feel like I had anyone to speak to who had been through that sort of thing or knew what to expect.
“Victim Support were one of the first who got in contact with me and it was really nice that I had someone to talk to about it. Especially at first when I had not come to terms with what had happened.
“If sharing my story can help just one person in a similar position to me then it’s been worth it.”
Rhiannon was 22 at the time of the sexual assault on October 25, 2022 and studying to become a speech and language therapist at Leeds Beckett University, having been born and raised in the Rawdon area of the city.
She was a regular at the gym where Ahmed worked as a personal trainer and the two got to know each other in passing. She said: “He was a big personality in the body building world and a lot of people knew him which is why I trusted him.
“I had a good image of him in my head. He had a big client base.”
She said that she replied to a message he sent out offering massages as she was struggling with a bad back at the time and that he responded saying he was a qualified sports therapist.
The massage was scheduled for the next evening, during which Ahmed took off his shirt before sexually assaulting Rhiannon and also asking her to touch him inappropriately.
She said that she “completely panicked” during the assault.
“I was confused and I couldn’t move,” she said.
“It was like I was not in my own body. I felt threatened and was frozen.”
After Ahmed left the house, she said her housemates “could tell something was wrong”.
“I was still massively in shock,” Rhiannon said.
“I told them he had touched me and I felt really uncomfortable.”
The attack was reported to the police within two hours.
“My first thought was because of how scared I was and how confusing it all was that I didn’t want it to happen to anyone else,” she said.
“I was a bit apprehensive but once I had gone to the police I realised the extent of what he had done.”
She said that West Yorkshire Police was “really, really supportive” throughout the process, and that she felt “relieved that I was believed and that the police were doing everything they could”.
After charges were brought against Ahmed and he pleaded not guilty at court, Rhiannon had to wait a year-and-a-half for the trial. She said: “That was probably the most difficult part; knowing I would have to relive it in a courtroom in front of people and knowing it was such a long time away.”
She said that during this time she began to suffer the significant effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and it “massively affected my life”.
“During the days I was pretty numb to be honest”, she said.
“I didn’t have a lot of emotions so during the day I was not able to get out of bed or look after myself.
“During the night it was worse. I would wake up in the night with sleep paralysis. I couldn’t move and thought he was on top of me. It was like I was reliving it again and again.”
Rhiannon said the stress led to delays in finishing her university degree.
The trial started on October 14 last year and lasted for three days, which was “exhausting to say the least”.
“It was difficult to be on the stand and be told I was a liar because it had been my life for the last two-and-a-half years”, Rhiannon said.
“During that time I didn’t feel like I could move past it because I felt I had to remember every detail. I told them exactly what happened which, to be honest, was quite empowering. At that point I had done everything I could to stop this happening again. I then knew that whatever was to happen was out of my hands but I had done everything I could.”
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Ahmed denied the assault had happened but the jury returned a guilty verdict.
He was sentenced to two years in prison last Monday and also placed on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years and handed a lifetime restraining order.
Rhiannon said: “It was just a massive sense of relief to know that now he would not be able to do it to anyone else and to know that I was believed; and that although it had been such a difficult two and a half years, I had done it for a good reason because other people will be protected from him.
“I have never had a physical feeling of a weight being lifted off my shoulders but I genuinely felt so free and that I could let go.”
Rhiannon went on to speak about what happened on her Instagram page to raise awareness and “break that stigma around sexual assault”.
She said: “I was quite open about what happened and I received so much support and so many women coming forward to speak about how they had been victims but didn’t think they could speak out.
“So now, I want to get my story out there so that others don’t have to feel the same way.”
Rhiannon is also looking to raise £10,000 to donate to Victim Support through a Just Giving page, by running 10 half marathons in 2025.
She added: “The last two-and-a-half years have been out of my control so it’s been important to change the narrative to make it my own. It doesn’t define me and I can turn it into a positive.”
Detective Constable Gill Kinnon of the Leeds District Safeguarding Unit said: “Firstly, I want to praise the victim in this case, who has shown immense bravery in coming forward.
“Ahmed clearly abused his position by using his role to sexually assault a young woman who trusted him and believed he was operating in a professional capacity.
“Women and girls absolutely have the right to be safe within the sporting area, in any capacity and not be at risk of predatory incidents like this. We encourage anyone who may have experienced a similar incident to come forward and report it.”