Pay €5k for €66k damage to hotel

Naked in lobby with his son in his arms

A MARKETING manager who caused €66,000 of damage to a hotel while naked has been ordered to pay €5,000 to its owners in compensation – or face 20 months in jail.

Eamon Devlin blamed a mix of drink and prescription medicine for his rampage at a Co. Donegal hotel.

The software company manager pulled the taps loose in his room at the Ballyliffin Lodge and flooded four bedrooms.

The 41-year-old had earlier arrived in the lobby holding his son while completely naked and claiming ‘gypsies’ had wrecked his room.

His lawyers had pleaded not guilty on his behalf, claiming his consumption of the tablets with alcohol had led to a case of ‘involuntary intoxication’.

However, a jury found him guilty and yesterday he appeared at Letterkenny Circuit Court before Judge John Aylmer for sentencing.

The two-day trial heard how Devlin booked into the hotel with his three-year-old son, as he was going through a divorce and wanted to spend time with his child. The father and son had enjoyed a day out playing pitch and putt at Ballyliffin Golf Club before having a swim and some bar food at the hotel.

Around 5am, Mr Devlin arrived in the reception of the hotel naked carrying his son who was in his pyjamas.

He asked staff to come to his room, claiming there were ‘gypsies’ there and he needed to get them out. Night porter, Séamus Henry went to the room but found nothing wrong and nobody else in his room.

Around 6am, the night porter received a phone call complaining of shouting in the accused man’s rooms which had been going on for half an hour.

Accompanied by another staff member, Mr Henry went upstairs and noticed the corridor was flooded.

They used the master key to gain entry but had to force the door as it was damaged.

Mr Henry said the room was under three inches of water and that sinks had been pulled off the bathroom wall and there was broken glass everywhere.

The court was told that the water later spread to three other rooms and at one stage it appeared that the ceiling of one room almost collapsed.

Hotel manager Colm O’Kane said he was telephoned at home about what had happened and he arrived a short time later.

He said Devlin asked him ‘Did you see them, did you see them? The gypsies? Youse are doing a great job.’ Devlin was arrested and interviewed at Buncrana Garda station.

He blamed a combination of stress, medication and alcohol for his behaviour on the night and offered to pay compensation, saying he was deeply ashamed of what had happened during the incident in September 2016.

He told gardaí: ‘I’m a big boy. If that phonecall to room service hadn’t been made I wouldn’t be here.’ He said he recalls going into the bathroom but the room went dark and he could not find a way out and believed gypsies were in the room taking his son.

Passing sentence Judge Aylmer said he placed the offence at the upper end of the mid-range for such offences and said it merited a sentence of 18 months in prison. But he had decided to adjourn the case until December 2019 to allow Devlin to pay compensation of €5,000 to the hotel in lieu of 20 months in prison.

If the compensation is paid before December 2019 then he would suspend the jail sentence for 12 months.