Courts / Dublin / Report

Alleged victim seemed upset, witness tells rape trial

Date
2015-06-09

Stage
Trial

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

During a rape trial, a hotel receptionist testified that a homeless woman, allegedly raped by a 27‑year‑old Dublin man in a hotel room on 27 March 2012, was on the verge of crying when she emerged from the room. The receptionist, Emmet O'Shaughnessy, said he had checked the accused and the victim into a room at about 1.40 a.m. and that the woman appeared upset and near tears when she came down to the lobby after two o'clock. She reportedly told him, "you've got two filthy scumbags up there," and later went outside, where he watched her walk down the street. He also described how the accused men interacted, with the younger man allegedly threatening the older man and both signing each other's names when signing out. The trial, presided over by Justice Margaret Heneghan, continues with a jury of eight men and four women. The unnamed 27-year-old pleaded not guilty.