Man jailed for assault on sex workers

By David O’Sullivan

 A man who attacked two sex workers, leaving one with “potentially life-threatening” wounds, has been jailed for a further four and a half years.

 Buti Sashi (27) of Tyrconnell Grove, Inchicore, Dublin 8 appeared before Judge Martin Nolan in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to assault causing harm, two counts of aggravated burglary, robbery, false imprisonment and assault causing serious harm on two separate occasions in 2017.

 In the separate incidents, Sashi contacted the victims for sex before arriving to their apartments, attacking them, then left the scene. 

 He has already been convicted for similar offences and is currently serving a sentence, for which his earliest possible release date had been June 23, 2029.

 In sentencing, Judge Nolan said “undoubtedly this defendant has a violent propensity.”

 He described the incidents as “very serious crimes” and said Sashi’s motivation was not clear, but was “probably theft”.

 “I hope that he is remorseful and shameful for what he did. I’m going to take that to be the case.”

 Judge Nolan sentenced Sashi to four and a half years imprisonment, which is run consecutively to his current sentence.

 I’m reducing it from about ten years on the basis of the totality principle,” said the judge, “If he came here on bail, not serving a sentence, I would have given him ten years.”

Detective Garda Carl Colgan told Emmet Nolan BL, prosecuting, that Sashi robbed a male sex worker at his flat on May 25, 2017.  Sashi pleaded guilty to charges of assault causing harm, robbery and aggravated burglary in relation to this incident.

 On the day, the injured party received a text message from Sashi to book an appointment. Sashi arrived to his apartment along with another man later that evening. 

 When the two men arrived, they threatened him before attacking him with a Stanley knife and scissors. He suffered injuries to the face and body.

 The two attackers then stole the man’s mobile phone and €200 in cash.

 The injured party made a complaint to gardai just over a month later. He said it had taken him that length of time because he had been terrified of contacting gardai due to the nature of their work.  

 He gave Gardaí a description of Sashi and said he’d seen him walking around Ranelagh in the past.

 Sashi, who was under investigation for separate, similar incidents at the time, fit the physical description provided by the victim. Data was later extracted from a mobile phone belonging to Sashi which showed he had been the person to contact this victim on the night of the attack.

 Sashi was arrested at his home address and detained. The court was told Sashi denied and minimised his role during interview, and attempted to distance himself from the assault that had been carried out.

 Dt Gda Colgan also told the court of a second incident on June 24, 2017 during which Sashi attacked a female sex worker.

 Sashi pleaded guilty to counts of aggravated burglary, assault causing serious harm and false imprisonment in relation to this incident..

 This victim received a call from Sashi to arrange an appointment and he arrived at her apartment just after midnight.

 The woman buzzed him into the apartment complex, and a minute or two later Sashi knocked on the door. She opened the door and he came inside.

 He then grabbed her by the elbow and dragged her into the bedroom, shouting “I want money”.

 The woman shouted for help and tried to escape, but Sashi was blocking the door. He then produced a knife and grabbed her. She was terrified.

 Sashi stabbed her seven times on her right hand side. He dragged her into a bathroom, punching and kicking her, before throwing her into a bathtub.

 One of the woman’s friends, who had been in the apartment when Sashi arrived, ran to get help. Neighbours came in to the flat.

 Sashi picked the victim out of the bathtub and dragged her to the door, keeping his arm around her neck in what was described as a “hostage hold.”

 He then threw her to the floor and fled the scene.

 The woman was brought to hospital with what were described in court as “potentially life threatening” stab wounds to her arm, stomach and thigh. She had also suffered a left eye socket fracture.

 A mobile phone which had been dropped at the crime scene was used to identify Sashi as the attacker.

 Sashi was arrested and interviewed, during which he denied what had happened. He said he was the victim after the woman had tried to take his wallet and then another man proceeded to attack him.

 Victim impact statements from the two injured parties were handed in to the court.

 Ciaran O’Loughlin SC, defending, described the incidents as a “very serious crime spree.” 

 He said his client had an alcohol problem and began drinking at six years of age. This had developed into cannabis, cocaine and tablet use.

 Mr O’Loughlin also said his client was once a “very promising athlete” and has been attending an online university while in custody.

 Sashi has 19 previous convictions, which the court was told included “multiple for offences of a similar nature against similar victims”.