second threat | 

Hotel worker made ‘horrific’ threat to kill his colleague over roster, court told

He also admitted intimidating a witness by threatening a person assisting a garda investigation. This offence happened at a place unknown on November 6, 2021.

Yesterday at 06:17

A hotel night manager made a “horrific” threat to kill a colleague drawing up the roster because he was unhappy his hours were being “minimised”.

Ross Draper (27) went on to phone the victim – the day manager – with a second threat warning him about involving gardaí, while the first crime was being investigated.

Judge Michele Finan sentenced him to six months in prison, with another six months suspended. Draper, with an address at New Bancroft Hall, Greenhills Road, Tallaght, pleaded guilty to threatening to kill or cause serious harm to the man at the Bonnington Hotel, Dublin 9 on October 3, 2021.

He also admitted intimidating a witness by threatening a person assisting a garda investigation. This offence happened at a place unknown on November 6, 2021.

Dublin District Court heard the accused first contacted the victim and threatened to kill him and his wife. In the second incident, after the man had made a complaint, Draper again phoned him and threatened him about getting the gardaí involved.

The injured party had been invited to make a victim impact statement but had not provided one, the court heard.

The accused had entered his guilty pleas some time ago, his barrister Vanessa Frawley said.

Draper had been a night manager in the hotel and the injured party was the day manager. The victim had been doing the roster for hotel staff and was minimising Draper’s hours, Ms Frawley said.

The accused’s hours were less than he wanted, he had two young children and he was struggling to make ends meet, she said. He accepted full responsibility for his actions, which were out of character.

He also accepted it was a traumatic and “horrific incident” for the victim and it was something Draper had regretted every day since it happened.

Draper got married last year and was working for a recruitment agency but had nothing permanent at the moment.

His plea had saved the victim from having to come to court to give evidence and “hopefully he’s got on with his life,” Ms Frawley said.

Judge Finan said she considered the case to be at the high end of what the district court could deal with.

“He threatened to kill the injured party and he also threatened him that if he was to call the gardaí that there would be consequences,” the judge said.

“And when the report was made, there were consequences, the injured party was contacted again. The court considers it an exceptionally serious matter.”

The court could not see its way to avoiding the imposition of a custodial sentence, she said.

She imposed two consecutive six-month sentences, suspending the final one for two years.