Shane Flynn, 35, was convicted of a “predatory” sexual assault on a woman who sought treatment for chronic back problems at his gym in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, Ireland
A personal trainer convicted of sexually assaulting a woman who wanted treatment for chronic back issues secretly filmed dozens of topless massages as he gave massages at his gym.
Shane Flynn, owner of NGS Gym and Rehabilitation Clinic, now known as Recode in Mullingar in County, west of Dublin, was remanded on bail with “stringent” conditions and will be sentenced later. Flynn, 35, amassed a large social media following on Instagram.
Judge Ronan Munro said there was a “predatory aspect to the crime committed.” Flynn was found to have 18 hours of footage of him making suggestive remarks to women and massaging their breasts, Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court heard on Friday.
Irish police could not identify the women in the videos that did not feature any non-consensual behaviour and the judge noted they had not been shared or distributed. Flynn, of Mullingar, denied sexually assaulting a woman in January 2021 but he did admit a second charge for offensive conduct of a sexual nature by making covert digital recording of females without their knowledge or consent between July 2018 to August that year.
His sentence hearing date has been listed fpr December. A jury of nine men and three women convicted Flynn of sexually assaulting the woman after she went to an appointment at his gym. The conviction was reached following a six-day trial, The Irish Mirror reported.
Initially, she engaged in online consultations with him before visiting his gym a few weeks later. To comply with Covid-19 travel restrictions at the time, the woman took leave from work and obtained a permit to travel to Mullingar.
The court learned that although Flynn wasn’t a certified physiotherapist, he had completed various courses and earned credentials in neuromuscular therapy and as a strength and conditioning coach. The jurors were told about an incident during a massage session where Flynn instructed the victim, a woman in her mid-20s, to remove her bra and shorts and entered the room as she was undressing. She claimed that after she removed her shorts, he remarked: “he would have taken them off me quicker”.
Throughout the massage, Flynn made the woman uncomfortable by commenting that she was arousing him and inquiring if she was interested in a “happy ending” massage. He proceeded to make several inappropriate remarks and touched her breasts, vagina, pubic region, and buttocks, which left her feeling petrified.
He then asked if it was his turn for a massage. She told the court that this experience was starkly different from any groin injury treatment she had previously undergone and felt utterly powerless, lying there wearing nothing but a thong.
The woman claimed the accused allegedly threatened to overpower her with his bare hands, saying it would take him just 30 seconds. “When I said no, he said, ‘You wouldn’t be saying that if I had my clothes off’,” she alleged.
The court was told that two hours after she left the gym, she received a message from him on Instagram. According to the complainant, the message read: “Testosterone went through the roof; I didn’t expect that.” accompanied by a monkey covering its eyes emoji.
The victim spoke out about the harrowing experience, saying: “It is the most vulnerable position I have ever been in in my life. And I am saddened that I ever blamed myself in any way.
“I have felt anger, exhaustion, worry and sadness at different stages throughout this whole case. I was a client seeking treatment and support. I was a paying client. I wanted to improve my fitness and strength to support my scoliosis. Instead, I was sexually assaulted, made feel incredibly uncomfortable both physically and verbally and have suffered the impact of this assault in so many ways in my life to this day. All because of the actions of Shane Flynn.”
As a condition of his bail, he was required to have a chaperone present while working and to surrender his passport by Saturday afternoon. Judge Munro acknowledged that the defence needed time to prepare a plea in mitigation and also requested a pre-sentence probation report on the accused.
Flynn only spoke to confirm that he would hand over his passport and that he understood the bail conditions, which included an order prohibiting one-on-one contact with any female clients. The offence of sexual assault carries a maximum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment, while the offence of covert recordings carries a maximum sentence of two years’ imprisonment.
