Judge throws out woman’s hotel payment case

A CASE against a woman accused of making off without paying her hotel bill in Skibbereen was dismissed in the district court.

Judge Philip O’Leary dismissed the charge brought against Seana O’Grady of 25 Innishannon Road, Fair Hill, Cork, who was accused of not paying for her one-night stay at the West Cork Hotel on September 9th 2023.

Evidence was given that the accused, who handed over her credit card details when registering, left the following morning without paying, having failed to return her room key.

The court was told that hotel staff were unable to take payment on the card that was provided, but Mr Flor Murphy, solicitor defending, came to court with €200 to cover the €189 bill.

He said his client, who travelled from Cork to the court in Skibbereen to answer the charge, had attended a family event and that a total of 11 rooms were booked by that party.

On the day of departure, Mr Murphy said his client got up, had breakfast, and lingered a while with other family members over coffee.

He said she left the hotel on the presumption that the payment had been taken from her credit card. ‘She has never been before the court for fraud, theft or dishonesty,’ he added.

After hearing the evidence, Judge Philip O’Leary surmised that ‘If someone wished to defraud a hotel this is not the way they would go about it.

‘This woman provided the hotel with her credit card,’ said the judge before dismissing the charge.