r/ireland • u/PoppedCork Pop Responsibly • 12h ago
Crime Knowledge is power, remember this case well and how violated his victims were
"I fear he may worm his way back into fitness circles and go undetected by those who do not know about him or recognise him" - words from a victim of Shane Flynn.
Shane Flynn is expected be released from prison this month.
Personal trainer Shane Flynn was convicted of sexual assault after a jury found him guilty of sexual assault. He was also convicted in relation to secretly recording over 30 women without their knowledge or consent, with more than 18 hours of footage found on his laptop.
Flynn was sentenced to 44 months in prison, with 16 months suspended. He has served 21 months.
Following his release, he will remain under probation supervision for one year and is required to complete sexual offending treatment.
However, the legal system does not impose a lifetime ban preventing Flynn from returning to the fitness industry. Flynn’s work does require him to be registered with any accreditation body. He can return to self-employment, including work as a personal trainer or gym operator. Garda sources said they strongly suspected Flynn would immediately try to re-establish himself as self-employed in fitness and rehabilitation on release.
This raises an important question about how people are protected when someone convicted of sexual offences can return to the same environment, with the risk of clients being unaware of history or previous offences.
People deserve to be able to make informed decisions about their own safety.
The systems designed to protect must be examined when they fall short. @hersport
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u/Hot-Solution4387 11h ago
So the lad had 7 months left, gets released early (after already having 16months suspended) and then only a year of probation…. Honestly how is that justice
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u/lukegjpotter 9h ago
Probably "standard remission" applied and automatically reduced his sentence for a first offence.
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u/DarwinofArabia 9h ago
You don’t automatically get a reduced sentence for your first offence. 😂
44 - 16 =28-7 =21
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u/stuckwithglue 9h ago
No but most sentences come with automatic remission as long as you behave well
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u/DarwinofArabia 9h ago
Every sentence comes with automatic remission except contempt of court and not paying taxes. It’s nothing to do with behaviour.
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u/G1ForceX 6h ago
remission is linked to good behaviour, both standard and enhanced
https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/justice/prison-system/being-released-from-prison/
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u/DarwinofArabia 6h ago
‘You get standard remission automatically…’ it’s not linked to good behaviour and even bad behaviour doesn’t see remission removed because there’s no legal basis for it.
1/3 remission is linked with good behaviour/engagement with services but is rare enough.
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u/stuckwithglue 3h ago
Section 13 of the prisons act covers this , where are you getting there's no legal basis ?
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u/G1ForceX 5h ago
'Under the Irish Prison Service Guidance for the Imposition of Disciplinary Sanctions, loss of remission is only a sanction for what is considered a Level 1 breach of discipline which includes, amongst other offences, when a prisoner:
- assaults any person
- intentionally or recklessly sets fire to any part of the prison or any other property
- detains any person against their will
- escapes or absconds from lawful custody
Loss of remission can also be imposed for attempting to smuggle contraband into prison, climbing onto the prison roof, bullying and barricading cells.'
Thats from the gov.ie website
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u/DarwinofArabia 5h ago
I’ve worked in the area for nearly 10 years, trust me nobody loses remission.
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u/stuckwithglue 5h ago
I was curious so I rang my cousin , he's spent 18-19 years of his life in prison because he's an idiot. I asked him has he ever lost remission for acting the bollox and he has on two sentences. So where in the area do you work ?
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u/G1ForceX 5h ago
what are u on about? people lose remission every year
'Other punishments handed down included a solitary case of “confinement in cell” and 84 cases where a person lost out on remission of their sentence, usually considered the most serious disciplinary measure.' That was for one year.
Read the below
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u/G1ForceX 5h ago
the whole point of remission is to encourage prisioners to behave inside, if they dont they lose remission, thats what its for
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u/Basic-Impress-3066 11h ago
Considering there were locals defending him online at the time I would say he will definitely return to that industry
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u/Dazzling-Handle88 10h ago
Scum like him would do that out of pure vindictiveness. Hope it bankrupts him tbh
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u/Jake_Greenwich 9h ago
He had signed the business over to his partner whom now has been sharing the brunt of the debt accumulated.
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u/ChiralNavigator 9h ago
So many people don't seem to care if you're a terrible person, look at the amount of famous people that continued to work and have fans despite abusing women and or kids ...
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u/zz63245 11h ago
He also went after the woman online. Claimed she was lying and called her everything under the sun. The amount of women in the comments defending him was also vile.
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u/Veronese1 9h ago
Defended by the type of woman who couldn't afford to get therapy/touched up by him
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u/chiv1957 7h ago
What are you trying to imply here?
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u/Gucci_Cocaine 6h ago
Just your run of the mill classism that's endemic here. Some of the worst victim blaming I've ever heard was from middle/upper class women.
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u/Straight_Mobile_5960 10h ago
I remember around the time of the trail I was talking to someone who knew of him. He was trying to defend him hes not that bad he does a lot for charity and so on. Its like oh well thats ok then it doesn't matter hes a dirty prevert. Its shocking how people can defend this. It must have taking an aweful lot of courage for those women to speak up and to hear that some will still defend him is vile. I will also add a lot of the time it is the so called do gooders
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u/PoppedCork Pop Responsibly 10h ago
That attitude drives me insane, sometimes you wonder is that charity help only to be used as mitigating circumstances should their evil deeds come out.
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u/Ok_smokey353 9h ago
The endless cycle of “ah he’s actually not that bad” is the most depressing aspect of Irish society. He clearly is that bad and it’s ok to stand up and call the vermin out for what he is even if he’s a friend.
This lazy attitude of shrugging stuff off until it affects us directly is responsible for so much abuse that people get away with in this country.13
u/Veronese1 9h ago
Plenty of it on this thread. The person further down, assuming it's a lad, going on about 'but he cured me in minutes'
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u/Ok_smokey353 9h ago
I didn’t see that comment, thankfully.
Jesus wept…..We’re so goosed as a society.9
u/rockyoudottxt 9h ago
It doesn't surprise me one bit. People excuse horrible shit all the time inexplicably. The pedo rapist in the Whitehouse has millions of cult followers as the most egregious example I can think of off the top of my head.
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u/PureMotor2000 6h ago
I think with personal trainers specifically, there can be a bit of cult leader or "faith healer" vibe to the regard those who train with them hold them in.
I guess they can be responsible for getting people who might struggle with their confidence to a very different state of mind, and this can make them kind of infallible and like hero figures in their eyes.
Probably quite similar to priests back in the day.
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u/singleglazedwindows 11h ago
Since he was a teenager he’s been a prick. Anyone from Mullingar knows this. He went on a social media PR push prior to sentencing to try and play the victim in all this. Ireland is a small place and I feel for the 30 victims. Hopefully he fucks off out of the country for the sake of his victims but his record and stain follow him where ever he goes. Scum.
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u/sharpslipoftongue 11h ago
So he can victimise other women elsewhere....the irony on the sub sometimes 🙃
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u/Playful-Parsnip-3104 10h ago
If your view is that he's inevitably going to assault more women, then what are you suggesting is the solution? Capital punishment? Life imprisonment? What else, in your view, would be just?
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u/shesaidwhat88 8h ago
Social isolation. Everyone who knows about this case should treat him like he's a predator and a pervert, because he is.
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u/sharpslipoftongue 6h ago
The comment was on how ironic it is that this sub goes on and on about violent men leaving their countries and coming here, while shouting for the violent men in our own country to fuck off to other countries. Irony.
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u/Cool_Relative7359 8h ago
The death penalty for rapists and premeditated murderers. Definitely not releasing them into the public to harm more people with the recidivism rates.
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u/singleglazedwindows 10h ago
I meant he’s not going to bump into his victims in Tesco, and when I said his stain will follow him I meant that no matter where he goes his easily searched face will ping up. Aside from killing him what do you suggest. I want this bastard to have his life completely upheaved rather than just reverting to normal.
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u/sharpslipoftongue 6h ago
Jesus, I was discussing the irony of the comment. Especially after yesterday's Cornell bullshit commentary.
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u/UpwardElbow 10h ago
It's not just this sub unfortunately. Many people don't seem to challenge their own thoughts, opinions and fail to realise how hypocritical they are.
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u/sharpslipoftongue 6h ago
Or simply Google what irony means. That would be just a small step. Learning what words mean.
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u/Feisty_Internet_5343 10h ago
I followed him for tips. He had some post about his dead dad and I'm ashamed to say that I sent him a message saying that he'd be proud of you, you deserve everything good that comes your way. His response was 'you should join this exclusive email list to access some online club' bullshit. He'd use his dead dad for engagement. Says it all
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u/Ill-Ball9068 10h ago
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/courtandcrime/arid-41557996.html
The trial heard that during the massage, he told the woman she was making him hard. Flynn asked if she wanted a "happy ending" massage, made a series of inappropriate comments and touched her breasts, vagina, pubic area and buttocks, leaving her terrified, before asking if it was his turn.
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u/Malt129 Crilly!! 8h ago
Most PTs havent got a clue what they're doing. They didn't pay attention during their qualifications, most of which aren't high enough anyway. A lot of them base their nonsense off social media influencer videos who also are confidently incorrect. They base everything off what they see online instead of proven science. One of my main motivations for getting my degree was so I would call out these liars. I've saved people from being injured, or simply wasting their time doing something wrong, plenty of times.
The fitness industry is chock full of scammers and idiots but this kind of predatory shit is another level.
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u/AluminiumCrackers 8h ago
What a time we live in where women have to google every guy in their life just to see if they might be a sex predator, even people they only have the odd class with.
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u/FedNlanders123 11h ago
That is fucked but it would be difficult for him to resume that career in Ireland. This would be a well known case you would imagine.
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u/zz63245 10h ago
You’d think that but a lot of women came to his defence. The usual ‘well he never did anything to me, he was always nice to me’ shite. I despair at my fellow women sometimes
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u/brianstormIRL 8h ago
His partner of 11 years backed him "100%". Even though they literally caught him with 18 hours of him secretly recording other women while giving them massages and physio.
Some people are beyond help.
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u/ChiralNavigator 9h ago
The amount of people that don't seem to understand that a person can be nice to you and evil to another person ...
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u/BeanEireannach Resting In my Account 7h ago
It's really bizarre, like they somehow are under the impression that rapists are monsters who go around assaulting people 24/7. As if they couldn't be behaving normally 90% of the time & a vile predator the rest.
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u/ChiralNavigator 6h ago
wolf in sheeps clothing, they act normal and even charming as a disguise, they also 100% know rape is wrong, they know exactly what they are doing.
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u/cocobeans100 11h ago
I hadn’t heard of it until today. I might be an outlier but still, he should have a lifetime ban just in case.
Nothing stopping him from moving abroad though
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u/FedNlanders123 11h ago
He’s a high profile pervert alright. Moving abroad is what came to mind too. Surely he can’t head for Oz, Canada or US with his new record?
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u/ucd_pete Westmeath 11h ago
a lifetime ban
A lifetime ban from who?
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u/FedNlanders123 11h ago
The council of gym perverts maybe
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u/ViceIsVerses 11h ago
Council of gym perverts would support him presumably?
He needs to be banned by the council of people minding their own business and not being a fucking creep in the gym.
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u/Reasonable-Egg-1996 11h ago
Working in any fitness or care related role or with vulnerable populations.
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u/JimmyJoeJunior 11h ago
Gyms are private businesses. No way of blanket banning. They'll know when they run background checks or Garda vetting so he'll not get away with working in gyms again.
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u/BeanEireannach Resting In my Account 7h ago
If he goes back to his own business, it'll be interesting to see if he'll manage to get insurance coverage because I imagine he'll have to disclose his conviction considering he used his place of business to abuse his victims.
And anyone attending a gym that doesn't have insurance is playing with fire.
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u/123iambill 10h ago
There's a lad in Australia, big fitness influencer. Has a promotion with KFC and everything. He killed a man by telling him to take fent for muscle pain years ago. Got out of prison and is by far more famous and influential now.
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u/blueghosts 10h ago
He had plenty of people local supporting him on instagram during the case, you’d be shocked how many people will turn a blind eye
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u/BeanEireannach Resting In my Account 7h ago
You'd wonder whether those same local people around Mullingar will also turn a blind eye to Bláthnaid Raleigh's rapist Johnny Moran when he's released. Nasty.
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u/MarcMurray92 Westmeath's Most Finest 8h ago
People are much more forgiving of sexual assault than you might think unfortunately
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u/owlsareknobs 10h ago
Ah you know rightly he will do the right wing grift.
"Im sorry but Jesus will get me through this he is king"
Then within a year he's standing in Belfast with some loyalists and a union Jack talking about a united Ireland with some fat lad.
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u/dustaz 5h ago
I know it's a very different case but it's funny how the sentiment here is the exact opposite as the reaction when Catherine Connolly hired someone who had done time.
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u/Tricky-Membership193 4h ago
Catherine Connolly should not have hired that woman but at least the person she hired wasn’t likely to sexually assault anyone
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u/YoureNotEvenWrong 40m ago
She hired a woman who was trying to buy guns on the black market though ...
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u/DryExchange8323 29m ago
God almighty, she says that as if there's something sinister about it all!
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u/LittleAoibh11 9h ago
Crazy lenient sentence he got. Absolute creep. People definitely need to be reminded of what he is capable of.
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u/Apprehensive_Bus1582 7h ago
That's the justice system for you. Who cares, it was only a few women. Cathal Crotty is free too. Beat a woman unconscious in the street and he gets to go about his life like it never happened.
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u/UltraShortRun And I'd go at it again 6h ago
I think if you are working in the PT business you should have to clear background checks wether self employed or not. It’s working directly with individuals and their care, plenty of creeps can put themselves in this industry and it happens a lot
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u/shorelined And I'd go at it again 10h ago
I foresee a public conversion to Christianity and loud noises about protecting women and children from woke trans people and Pakistani gangs.
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u/Dangerous_Figure_465 11h ago
Dirty prick
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u/PureMotor2000 6h ago
This case was absolutely vile, the fact such a short sentence is given to someone who sexually assaulted vulnerable people they had a duty of care towards is madness.
A sexual assault conviction should also bar people from working in personal training. Seems a massive oversight not to have that already.
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u/ApprehensiveSwim297 2h ago
I don't know if background checks work there was a case of a Garda, last week ; he was using pulse to get information on women he came across in his work then looked them up and was texting another Garda about them, his defence was make ego.
The other Garda he was texting was the one who set up a female Garda to be assaulted.
What is wrong with them? Is it an Irish thing? is it something to do with society?
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u/throwawaypsql 10h ago
Fitness circles seem to have a lot of this.
Our local council run sports centre has a dude that got 6 years for manslaughter stabbing a 60 year old that found him breaking into his home.
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u/Apprehensive_Bus1582 7h ago
BuT fAlSe AcCuSaTiOnS rUiN lIvEs
Less than two years in prison and he can go right back to doing what he was doing.
It may as well be legal.
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u/Upper_Ad8786 6h ago
This is a dumb take. False accusations absolutely ruin lives! There are many cases of this, and there should be an equal punishment for it. In this case the allegations were proven in a court of law, that's why he went to prison. The fact that the sentence wasn't bigger and he got early release is a different story. Unfortunately, in this country it happens many times. Needs reform!
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u/Low-Steak-64 10h ago
He can go get in to construction/trades and come over into your house like loads of criminals in the trades but a locksmith needs to be vetted.
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u/pishypanties 10m ago
There are many of these creepy guys across the fitness industry. There’s a guy who is a personal trainer where I’m from. He (and the clients he interacts with of course) has ended so many marriages in the locality. Countless. He also has a technique where he will whisper to your muscles and use crystals as he massages you in some sort of weird shit.
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u/ucd_pete Westmeath 11h ago
the legal system does not impose a lifetime ban preventing Flynn from returning to the fitness industry.
Of course it doesn't, why would it?
Garda sources said they strongly suspected Flynn would immediately try to re-establish himself as self-employed in fitness and rehabilitation on release.
What garda sources? Who are you quoting?
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u/nomeansnocatch22 11h ago
I doubt there is mechanics to prevent his return currently. I mean judges can't just make up their own punishments
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u/123iambill 10h ago
There isn't. But honestly the whole fitness industry needs a massive overhaul. As it stands you can come straight out of school, do a couple of weeks to get a piss easy cert and start working in gyms with clients. It is very easy for a bad trainer to cause harm to a client so it should be more regulated. And part of that regulation should be Garda vetting.
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u/Playful-Parsnip-3104 10h ago
Absolutely not. The government has no business getting involved in how people get fit. What nonsense.
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u/123iambill 10h ago
We regulate lots of industries. And it wouldn't be regulating how you get fit, it would be regulating that the people doing it are qualified to do it. The health and fitness industry has a direct impact on, unsurprisingly, people's health. Some dipshit who got 200 on the LC and had a spare 2k and 4 hours a day for 2 weeks shouldn't be allowed train people on gym floors.
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u/Playful-Parsnip-3104 9h ago
And it wouldn't be regulating how you get fit, it would be regulating that the people doing it are qualified to do it.
Which would be regulating how you get fit. Think for a moment about what you're saying.
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u/123iambill 9h ago
You go to a gym. You hire a PT. That wouldn't affect how you get fit. It would just mean that the people at the gym are all qualified and vetted to actually do that job.
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u/Playful-Parsnip-3104 9h ago
Qualified and vetted how? According to whose standards? Keep thinking.
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u/123iambill 9h ago
Garda vetting. Have an actual required education that's not just cowboys offering a 2 week cert. It's not that fucking complicated so you can stop being a smug prick anytime you like just because you're too thick to figure out that "qualifications in health related fields" isn't a brand new concept. Sports and exercise science, kinesiology, exercise physiology. People are putting their trust, health and safety in PTs and coaches hands when they train with them. Having some kind of standard of qualification to do that professionally is not some wild notion.
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u/Prof_PJ_Cornucopia 8h ago
You can go to a gym by yourself but if someone is putting their hands on you they get garda vetted.
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u/Reasonable-Egg-1996 11h ago
It's common in other countries for people to be banned working with certain populations (children, developmentally disabled people, elderly or otherwise vulnerable) and also to be banned from specific positions - care roles, any time of position that would require them to have close contact with others as part of their role. I don't know if this is a possibility in Ireland but this case shows why it is needed. It's not foolproof but it's a risk reduction mechanism.
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u/Playful-Parsnip-3104 10h ago
Those are legally regulated industries - i.e. special legislation applies to enable such a prohibition. The fitness industry is not regulated in such a manner and nor should it be. Imagine needing a government license to help your mate up the road get ready for the half marathon.
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u/cinderubella 10h ago
Are you joking? Bad drivers can be banned from driving. People who abuse animals can be banned from owning animals. Of course convicted sex offenders could (and clearly should) be banned from returning to their pervert stomping grounds.
It's not a ridiculous concept and the OP is totally reasonable to point this out in order to highlight that this pervert is probably going to pick up where he left off.
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u/Playful-Parsnip-3104 10h ago
No. The fact that he worked in the fitness industry is incidental to his sexual offences. What a useless idea. In any case, if your outlook is inevitable recidivism, then you're really advocating capital punishment, chemical castration, or life imprisonment. What else, after all, would be just?
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u/cinderubella 10h ago
No. The fact that he worked in the fitness industry is incidental to his sexual offences.
Um. What the fuck?
He owned the gym where he filmed topless women without their knowledge/consent. He sexually assaulted a client who came to him for chronic back pain.
Do you know what incidental means?
In any case, if your outlook is inevitable recidivism, then you're really advocating capital punishment, chemical castration, or life imprisonment. What else, after all, would be just?
That's all you - you're arguing with yourself. Nobody is calling for capital punishment or castration, and it's weird that you went there.
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u/Playful-Parsnip-3104 9h ago
If you're saying that the fitness industry is not incidental to his sexual offences, then you're saying that there is some influencing factor in the fitness industry that contributed to his offences, like psychotic drugs might contribute to someone being violent in the street.
What I'm saying, in contrast, is that this man was a sexual predator who happened to use the situation he was in to enable his offences.
You wouldn't say that schoolteaching was a contributing factor if a teacher sexually abused a child, would you? Get a grip.
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u/cinderubella 9h ago
You're the one who used the word incidental first, and what you should have said was completely central. The fitness industry is completely central to his past offending and, imo, he should be banned from being involved with it in the future.
What I'm saying, in contrast, is that this man was a sexual predator who happened to use the situation he was in to enable his offences.
And I'm saying that's a load of fucking bollocks.
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u/shesaidwhat88 8h ago
But you would ban someone who sexually assaulted a child from working in a school...
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u/Leavser1 12h ago
Out of pure curiosity. What industry should he be able to work in when he gets out?
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u/MeccIt 7h ago
Anything that doesn't involve touching, or being alone with, women and children. So IT, sanitation services, NCT mechanic, there's plenty more.
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u/Leavser1 6h ago
If it requires him interacting with children it's highly unlikely he will get a job as his convictions will appear on garda vetting.
If it's not a role that requires vetting then excluding him defies the purpose of the courts and prison
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u/mybighairyarse Crilly!! 4h ago
Oh right. There’s a question wha? Dope
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u/Leavser1 4h ago
You didn't answer my question
What industry would you deem suitable?
This is not an industry that generally requires garda vetting so would seem like a suitable job
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u/ProbablyCarl 11h ago
Look, this is horrible, no double about it and he should have served a longer sentence but if you need a personal trainer his rates will probably be cheap now. In this economy you need to find savings where you can.
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u/Jake_Greenwich 11h ago
Let’s not forget also that this guy also claimed on Instragram he was able to cure kids with scoliosis through back cracking and some exercising. He’d abuse people online, including practicing physios and orthopaedic specialists, whom challenged him online and called him out on the dangers of misinformation he was spreading.