Suspended sentence for man who assaulted partner in hotel

By Sonya McLean

A man who assaulted a former partner in a hotel corridor has been given a suspended sentence.

Shane McMorrow (44) of Fairways Park, Finglas, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault of the woman in a Dublin hotel on October 30, 2023. He has no previous convictions.

Passing sentence, Judge Martin Nolan said McMorrow was involved in a relationship with the injured party and they had arranged to go to a hotel for the night. He said it seems they enjoyed dinner but later had an argument in their room.

He said it seemed at a certain point the woman escaped from the room and was followed by McMorrow, naked, who tried to drag her back into the room.

He said this “entanglement” lasted a few minutes and was captured on CCTV.

The judge said McMorrow returned to his room and dressed before returning to the endeavour of getting the woman back to the room but did not succeed. He noted some witnesses to the events were more helpful than others.

He said the woman was affected by the events, which left her somewhat traumatised, as well as betrayed and humiliated. He said the physical injuries were not too serious and noted civil litigation has been commenced by the woman against McMorrow.

Judge Nolan said he did not think McMorrow would reoffend based on his record and did not think McMorrow deserved a term of imprisonment. He imposed a two and a half year sentence which he suspended in full on strict conditions.

Evidence was heard that before this incident occurred, McMorrow smashed the woman’s phone.

Maddie Grant BL, prosecuting, said that the woman attempted to leave the hotel room as she was in fear. She did so by claiming that she was going to run a bath. She left the room but when she got out into the corridor of the hotel McMorrow followed her.

McMorrow was naked and dragged the woman through the corridor in an attempt to get her back into the room.

CCTV footage captured the incident and it was played to Judge Nolan.

The woman later told gardaí that she thought McMorrow had her by the leg. Hotel staff were alerted and the night porter on duty accompanied both the woman and McMorrow to the reception area.

The woman was left with visible bruising and photographs of those injuries were shown to the court.

Ms Grant told the court that McMorrow was interviewed the following month. He made no admissions in relation to assaulting the woman but admitted to damaging her phone.

It was accepted by the investigating garda in cross-examination by Oisin Clarke BL, defending, that McMorrow’s guilty plea was of assistance.

It was further accepted that McMorrow suffered a brain injury in 2007 which has impacted him and may have led to him having difficulty processing some of the questions being asked of him by gardaí during interview.

McMorrow and the woman had only been in a relationship since June that year but McMorrow had already put the woman in his will.

Mr Clarke said his client has “no rational explanation” for his behaviour on the night. He said McMorrow was not intoxicated at the time.

The woman read her victim impact statement into the record. She said she had only typed up the statement that morning.

She said she had been left “truly traumatised” by the assault. She said she feared for her life on the night.

The woman said as “a compassionate person” she tried to deal with McMorrow but she added that he “repeatedly crossed my boundaries”.

She said she had agreed to go to the hotel with him on that particular night “to try and connect” with him.

She said “as can be seen on CCTV footage – I can be seen escaping the room. He pulled me back and I was petrified”.

The woman said she was shouting for help at the time and that she will never understand how another guest in the hotel room, a woman, opened her room door and told the woman “to shut the f*** up”.

She said this person saw a naked man dragging her and she reacted in that way.

The woman said she has heard how the case has “impacted” McMorrow’s mental health but she added “there is no consideration for mine”.

“I have repeatedly been made to feel responsible for his psychiatric issues, which I resent,” the woman added.

She said she feels “so let down by the system” which she said has “only brutalised me further”. She said she has repeatedly tried to give feedback to gardaí but “to no avail”.

The woman said she has an issue with being described in proceedings “as a witness”.

“I did not witness what he did to me, I endured it,” she said.

“Shane might not want to accept it but I know I am taking the right course of action,” the woman said.

She said she feels “truly disheartened by the justice system”.

The woman referred to the fact that November 25 marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. She said she feels “such sadness” that she does not feel safe in a country like Ireland.

Mr Clarke said it is apparent that the woman feels “aggrieved by the system letting her down” but asked that the court accept that McMorrow could not have dealt with the case “in a more efficient manner”.

He said his client has “genuine remorse” and now has “insight into his behaviour”.

Mr Clarke said the CCTV footage “made very disturbing viewing” and he can understand why the woman would be traumatised by McMorrow’s behaviour on the night.

Counsel said his client had “a good start in life” but was involved in a very serious car accident in 2007 and the resulting brain injury “put a stop to his career” and he lost the job he had at the time in the pharmaceutical industry.

Mr Clarke said his client tends to form “intense and very immediate bonds with people” before he told the court that McMorrow had added the woman to his will within three weeks of meeting her. He described this behaviour as “utterly bizarre”.

Counsel said his client is a “psychologically vulnerable person” who is “prone to general anxiety”.

He is a landlord and testimonials were handed in from his tenants.

Mr Clarke said McMorrow’s family have an “impeccable” reputation in the local community and they are utterly disbelieving that he involved himself in such an offence.

Counsel said McMorrow began attending a counsellor within weeks of the assault. He is considered to be at a low level of re-offending and is now in a stable relationship.