Man accused of rape and of tying belt around neck of woman during hotel stay before Derry court
A man with an address in Coleraine has been remanded in custody at Derry Magistrate's Court charged with a series of offences, including rape and non fatal strangulation, which are alleged to have occurred during a hotel stay in the city.
Dillon Hemple (30) of Hazeldene Drive in Coleraine faced a total of ten charges including rape, non fatal strangulation, assault, criminal damage and disorderly behavior on various dates and against the same alleged injured party between February 8 and February 12.
A police officer connected the accused to the charges and opposed bail.
He told the court that police were called to an hotel in Derry in the early hours of the morning after a disturbance was reported in a room.
Police spoke to the couple in the room, the defendant and the alleged injured party, and they both said nothing had happened.
However, on February 13 the woman contacted police and said that during the two day stay at the hotel in Derry, Hemple had been verbally abusive towards her, had whipped her legs with a phone charged cable and slapped her.
She also claimed she had been raped and alleged he had tied a belt around her neck.
The woman claimed that when police came to the room Hemple had told her to say nothing had happened.
The woman outlined another incident that occurred in Waterloo Place when she said that the defendant had abused her and granted her by the throat.
At interview Hemple said everything that occurred was consensual including the belt round the throat.
He said the couple had a 'safe word' which she had not used.
Bail was opposed due to the risk of reoffending and the fact Hemple was viewed as 'a high risk perpetrator of domestic violence.'
Defence counsel Brendan Kearney said these were 'clearly very serious allegations' but added his client had given 'a full and detailed account'.
He said this was 'an on off relationship' and the woman had made allegations in the past that had not been proceeded with.
District Judge Oonagh Mullan said that there was 'a litany’ of alleged offences before the court and refused bail, stating the young woman was entitled to feel safe.
Hemple was remanded in custody to appear again on March 12.