An eminent massage guru molested two clients while supposedly practising an ancient oriental therapy, a court was told.

Mark Bishop, an authority on Japanese shiatsu, allegedly fondled one woman's breasts and put his hands down her knickers.

The 51-year-old is also accused of indecently assaulting a second woman during a session of the alternative therapy.

The assaults allegedly involved females who attended evening sessions at Sackville School in East Grinstead, where massage was done over the top of loose clothing.

Bishop, a founder of the International Shiatsu Commission, is a renowned practitioner of the art, which involves applying finger and hand pressure to regions of the body.

Prosecutor Mark Seymour told Hove Crown Court: "Shiatsu is a traditional healing art using finger and hand pressure to relax and energise the body of the person receiving the treatment.

"The defendant is an extremely knowledgeable person so far as shiatsu is concerned.

"He lived in Okinawa in Japan for some years and learnt the art form out there. He was responsible for forming the International Shiatsu Commission some years ago for his form of shiatsu."

The first alleged victim took shiatsu classes in the mid-Nineties. Bishop did not teach breast massage although it was sometimes used in shiatsu, the jury heard.

In 1998 the woman, who suffered from multiple sclerosis, went to the defendant's house for a shiatsu session.

Mr Seymour said: "The prosecution case is that in the first incident he was seeing how far he could go and on the second he was taking advantage of her vulnerable side."

Bishop, of Fairfield Road, East Grinstead, is also alleged to have assaulted a second woman who started classes in 1991.

He denies two counts of indecent assault against each of the two women. The case continues.