Massage therapist faces charge of sexually assaulting guest at Donegal hotel

A massage therapist has been charged with sexually assaulting a female guest during a massage session at a Donegal hotel.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is accused of sexually assaulting the young woman at the hotel on July 9, 2022.

The accused appeared at a sitting of Donegal Circuit Court sitting at Letterkenny Courthouse where an application was made in the case.

The man denies the charge, which carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison.

Barrister for the accused, Mr Simon Gillespie BL, applied to Judge John Aylmer to have a senior legal counsel assigned to his client.

Mr Gillespie gave a brief outline of the case including some details of the alleged incident which he said lasted for a protracted period of minutes.

The details included claims of oral sex, groping and digital penetration.

Mr Gillespie added that a consent issue will arise in the case which he described as "somewhat complex."

The accused man, who now lives in a different country, flew in to attend the brief court hearing.

The charge is Contrary to Section 2 of the Criminal Law (Rape) Amendment Act 1990, as amended by Section 37 of the Sex Offenders Act, 2001.

Judge Aylmer agreed to the application to have a senior counsel appointed to the accused man.

The man was released on bail and the case was adjourned until December 9, 2025.