A MASSAGE THERAPIST has been charged with sexually assaulting a female guest during a massage session at a hotel in Co Donegal.

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

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

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

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

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.

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 9th, 2025.