Vulnerable teen ‘taken to hotel and held against her will’, court hears

Three people have appeared in court following an incident in which a vulnerable teenage girl was allegedly taken to a Tyrone hotel and held against her will.

Appearing from police custody were Patrick Doyle (22) from The Park, and Thomas McCarthy (18), from Aughmore Lane, both in Dublin, as well as Serena Collins (26), from Northland Road, Derry, who are jointly-accused of unlawfully and injuriously imprisoning the child, and detaining her against her will.

Asked if they understood the charges, Collins replied, “That didn’t happen.

“Nobody kept her against her will.”

Doyle is further charged with obtaining services dishonestly by failing to pay £260 for the hotel room.

A detective constable from the PSNI Child Abuse Investigation Unit confirmed the charges against all three could be connected.

He told Strabane Magistrates Court that police received a report of a missing person at 1am on May 10 from the mother of the teenage girl, who has learning difficulties, after she had failed to return home.

Around 4.30am, the mother contacted police again to say that the child had returned, and was in a very distressed state.

Officers attended and spoke with the child who disclosed being taken to a hotel.

She explained that she had met up with Collins the previous day, and they, in turn, were picked up by three men in a silver-grey car, driven by a male named ‘Patrick’.

They drove to Derry, but were unable to get a hotel room, so travelled on to Strabane, and booked into the Fir Trees Hotel.

During this time the child said that the hotel room door was locked, and she was unable to leave, while the group allegedly threatened to remove her phone.

She was kept in the room until she was driven back and dropped off outside her home.

On attendance at the hotel, police discovered the three accused in a room, where a window was open, and it is believed one male had escaped shortly before officers arrived. The others were arrested, and during interview, the men accepted driving together from Dublin, meeting up with the complainant and Collins.

All three admitted being in the hotel room with the girl. However, they denied any offences occurred.

District judge, Alana McSorley, set bail at £200 for each defendant, and ordered them to appear again next month.