Sharay Hayes is six feet two, rippling with muscles and nicknamed “The Punisher”.

In 2015, working as an exotic dancer at the top of his game, he was described by the New York Post as giving Channing Tatum “a run for his money”.

The Punisher, whose Instagram profile is all abs, leather and chains, partied with some of America’s most beautiful women, hunkiest men and biggest stars.

He never thought that his glamorous lifestyle would end up with him sitting in a courtroom, with clips of him sleeping with the singer Cassie Ventura broadcast to 12 strangers.

It all began on the evening of Oct 14, 2012, when Mr Hayes received a call from a woman named Janet asking for a male dancer to entertain her and some friends, he tells the Telegraph.

He packed up and travelled to the Trump International Hotel in midtown Manhattan for the 3am booking.