A Burnaby skin care clinic operator has posted $70,000 bail and has been allowed to leave the country after being charged in two alleged sexual assaults at his clinic.
Farshad Khojsteh Kashani, the owner of FAB Skin Care at 5481 Kingsway, was charged with two counts of sexual assault with a weapon last Monday.
According to the charge document in the case, the two alleged assaults, involving two different complainants, took place in late May 2019 and mid-April 2021, and the alleged weapon in both cases was “a probe.”
Khojsteh Kashani was released on bail Thursday, according to the Vancouver provincial court registry.
Under the terms of his release, he is banned from performing any laser or ultrasound treatment “relating to vaginal tightening procedures” and from being alone with any girl or woman unless she is over the age of 16 and he has informed her of the sexual assault charges against him.
That restriction doesn’t apply if the girl is a family member, if she is accompanied by a responsible adult or if Khojsteh Kashani is in public.
Khojsteh Kashani had surrendered his passport to police, but Burnaby RCMP was ordered to return it to him on March 18 for the purposes of traveling to Dubai, according to the bail order.
Once he is back in Canada, the bail order says he must return his passport to the RCMP before March 28.
He will then be banned from leaving the province and applying for any travel documents, according to the bail order.
His next appearance in Vancouver provincial court is scheduled for March 29.
Because of a publication ban, the NOW is prohibited from reporting on information presented during Khojsteh Kashani’s bail hearing, including the rationale behind allowing him to travel to Dubai.
Burnaby RCMP said they launched an investigation in 2019 after a person reported she had been sexually assaulted during treatment at FAB Skin Care.
A second alleged victim came forward in 2021, police said.
Within minutes of police announcing the charges against Khojsteh Kashani, the Fraser Health Authority sent out a news release urging anyone who has received high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) vaginal tightening services at FAB Skin Care to seek screening for sexually transmitted infections immediately.
“Fraser Health public health was made aware that this business was not providing these services through a registered health professional and was not using appropriate infection control measures while providing these services,” stated the release.
The health authority has ordered the clinic to stop performing the procedure and is monitoring compliance, the release said.
Once located in unit 207 at 5481 Kingsway, FAB Skin Care appears to have moved to unit 201 and is now going by the name Wellness Skin Care online.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
Email [email protected]