A MAN WHO subjected a woman to an aggravated sexual assault in her hotel room has been jailed for seven and a half years.
Ciaran Tate (29) with an address at Killenrevagh, Hollymount, Claremorris, Co Mayo was convicted of aggravated sexual assault, assault causing harm and false imprisonment at the hotel on a date in November 2024, by a Central Criminal Court jury following a trial.
He was acquitted of non-fatal strangulation and making threats to kill on the same occasion.
Tate and the woman did not know each other prior to these events. He has no previous convictions.
Passing sentence today, Ms Justice Melanie Greally said the offences had been intensely traumatising for the injured party and caused her profound harm.
She said the probation report notes Tate accepts the verdict of the jury but continues to have difficulty associating himself with the offences. She said victim empathy was limited due to his tendency to distance himself from the events.
She noted the affidavits from his parents who she said were decent people who were horrified by their son’s actions but continue to offer support to him.
The report assessed Tate to be currently at moderate risk of re-offending if left in the community.
Ms Justice Greally said she was taking into account the gravity of the offences and the harm caused, as well as the duration, seriousness and multiplicity of the offences.
The judge noted his intoxication was self-induced. She observed that nothing in his conduct immediately prior gave any indication of what he was going to do. She remarked the violent impulses appeared to have arisen suddenly.
She said she could not exclude that the road traffic incident he had been involved in earlier that day may have affected how the alcohol affected him. However, she noted this was speculative and did not weigh heavily in her assessment.
Ms Justice Greally set headline sentences totalling 12 years’ imprisonment.
In mitigation, she took into account his lack of prior convictions and his cooperation with the investigation. She noted there were no express denials and a concession to gardaí that the account of the injured party could be correct.
She also considered in mitigation the manner in which the defence was conducted and that the offending was wholly out of character.
She said expressions of horror and remorse were evident in the probation report, the preparation of which he had fully cooperated with.
Ms Justice Greally imposed a sentence of eight and half years with the final 12 months suspended on strict conditions including engaging with interventions addressing sexually harmful behaviour.
He is to have three years post-release supervision and have no contact with the injured party.
An investigating garda told Garret Baker SC, prosecuting, that the woman was staying overnight at the hotel. Tate was separately staying overnight at the hotel to attend a function. They were staying in rooms beside each other. They were not previously known to each other.
Tate had been involved in a traffic collision earlier in the day, before arriving at the hotel.
The court heard the woman and Tate were talking in the hotel lobby briefly later in the evening. He began rubbing her leg and she attempted to brush his hand away and told him to stop.
The woman decided to go to bed, after spending much of the night in the company of friends, and stopped into a friend’s room to say goodnight. She continued to her room on another floor.
The woman later heard a knock and when she went out to investigate, realised her key card no longer worked and she was locked out. She went to reception for help where she interacted briefly with Tate again.
As she went to the elevator to return to her room, Tate also got in the elevator. He leaned in to try to kiss the woman. She told him she did not wish to be kissed. She attempted to shrug it off as she did not wish to make a fuss.
They got out of the elevator and walked towards their rooms, with Tate behind her. She described Tate as using his momentum to follow her into her room. He pushed her onto the bed and pulled her down by the legs as she tried to move away.
She tried to push him away as he pulled off her nightclothes. She was telling him to stop and resisting as he began kissing her body.
He put his fingers in her vagina and put his hand over her mouth and on her neck.
The woman screamed and reached for a handset to call reception but he swiped her hand away.
Tate removed his trousers and began “dry humping” her from behind. He continued to hold her by the throat while forcefully telling her to perform oral sex.
The woman realised she needed to “plámás” him and said she would do as he asked.
Tate released pressure on her and she was able to make a break for the door and get out.
The woman had to run for help naked and in a distressed state, banging on other doors. Another hotel resident came to her assistance and raised the alarm.
Tate was found naked and passed out on her bed and, while being escorted out, he crawled to his own room. CCTV footage revealed the events lasted 18 minutes.
The woman was taken to a sexual assault treatment unit for treatment. She had sustained bruising to her arms and shoulders, marks to her neck and she was hoarse the following day.
Tate was arrested and said due to the state of his intoxication he had no memory of events.
In her victim impact statement, the woman said her life had been impacted profoundly by the events. She said her personal life had been destroyed. She has lost her confidence, suffers night terrors, flashbacks and poor mental health. She has lost a sense of safety in her work.
She said Tate had ruined her ability to love and trust and interact with others.
The garda agreed with Garnet Orange SC, defending, that Tate said he had no recall of events and had expressed horror at what was being alleged. He said at one point if what was being said was true he was very sorry and wished for the woman’s sake that they had never met.
Orange asked the court to take into account his client’s co-operation and remorse. He said Tate came before the court with previous good character and a work history.
He said Tate’s elderly parents, who depend on him enormously, are horrified at the situation he finds himself in. He said Tate’s father is not in good health. He outlined Tate also suffers from a painful skin condition, which can lead to infections.
Affidavits from his parents, who understood the seriousness of the matters before the court, described Tate as kind and caring and said his actions were entirely out of character.
Counsel said Tate has been using his time positively while in custody.
The probation report outlined that Tate and his parents lived for a time in Canada where he was educated and maintained consistent employment as an aircraft fuel operator, a haulage driver and an emergency medical technician before the family returned to Ireland.