"I really did think he was capable of killing me"

Wednesday 15 November 2023

A woman, who accuses a staff member of locking her in a hotel room, beating her and raping her, has told the Royal Court that she thought he was capable of killing her.

She was giving evidence on the first day of the trial of 49-year-old Terence Martin Quinn, a chef at the Oaklands Lodge Hotel.

Mr Quinn denies charges of rape, grave and criminal assault and false imprisonment.

The Royal Court heard yesterday that the alleged offences took place in a room at the hotel.

The jury was told that they began to have sex, but when the woman asked Mr Quinn to stop what he was doing, she alleged that he lost his temper and turned violent.

Answering questions from Crown Advocate Matthew Maletroit, prosecuting, the woman said: “He kept spitting and spitting and spitting in my face, about ten times.

"I went to the bathroom to wash my face.”

She said Mr Quinn locked the door while she was in the bathroom and when she returned to the bedroom he ordered her to stand in one corner, and began to throw her belongings towards her.

“He said: ‘If you move, I’ll hit you’,” she said. “I was quite in shock. I’d only seen that kind of thing in films.”

Pictured: The Royal Court heard yesterday that the alleged offences took place in a room at the Oaklands Lodge Hotel.

As she stood in the corner, she added, Mr Quinn sat on the bed, drinking wine and scrolling through the messages and pictures on her mobile phone.

“He was drinking and laughing,” the alleged victim told the court.

Mr Quinn then gave her her phone back to call for a taxi.

She said: “Then he took my phone and he smashed it and bent it and threw it across the room.

"He came over and absolutely battered me.”

She broke down in tears before continuing: “He was punching me all round the back of my head and shoulders.

"He was grabbing my hair with one hand and punching me like a boxer with the other.

“I was screaming. He said: ‘Why are you screaming? No one can hear you.’”

She said he left the room, locking her in, and when he returned said: “I’ve cancelled the taxi.”

The court was told Mr Quinn then sat on the bed and ordered her to sit there.

She said: “He started kissing me and I just went with it, because I really did think he was capable of killing me.

"He began to take my pyjama bottoms off and had sex with me.”

Advocate Maletroit asked: “Did you want to have sex with him?”

She said: “No – I just wanted to go home.”

The woman added that Mr Quinn later apologised for what he had done.

“I didn’t say anything," she said. "I had nothing to say.”

The trial is expected to last three more days.

SUPPORT...

Islanders affected by any of the issues raised in this report can contact any of the following:

SARC at Dewberry House provides expert independent and confidential support to victims of sexual abuse. Tel: 01534 888222. 

Jersey Action Against Rape (JAAR) provide and maintain a supporting framework for survivors and their families. Confidential helpline: 01534 482800.

Freeda (formerly Jersey Women’s Refuge) offer help and support for victims of domestic abuse. Tel: 0800 7356836.

Jersey Domestic Abuse Support (JDAS) is an independent service developed to protect and support victims of domestic and sexual abuse. Tel: 01534 880505. 

Victim Support offer free and confidential advice to victims of crime. Tel: 01534 440496. 

Victims First Jersey is a free and independent service offering confidential support to victims and witnesses of crime. Tel: 0800 7351612. 

Samaritans offer a confidential and non-judgemental listening ear to people who need to talk. Tel: 116 123 free from any phone or 0330 094 5717 (local call charges apply).