A personal trainer and gym owner has been jailed for two years and four months for sexually assaulting a woman who sought treatment at his gym, and for secretly filming over 30 women topless who had come to him for massages.
Shane Flynn, 35, garnered a significant following on social media for giving fitness advice to thousands of followers. The owner of Recode Gym in Mullingar had denied sexually assaulting the woman in January 2021, but he had admitted a second charge for offensive conduct of a sexual nature relating to filming multiple female clients without their knowledge or consent at his gym. The secret filming of 35 women during massages took place between July 2018 and August 2020.
The personal trainer had previously appeared on the RTE programme Special Forces: Ultimate Hell Week. Back in 2018, he had reached the final of the show where contestants are put through their paces by military experts.
Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court heard on Monday 18 hours of video footage found on Flynn’s laptop showed him making suggestive remarks and massaging the breasts of women, who ranged in age from 18 to their mid-50s.
A judge said today that the father of one had exploited his position of trust, something which was “particularly insidious” about the case. Sentencing today, Judge Ronan Minro said that Flynn “unequivocally accepted the verdict of the jury” and was sorry and remorseful for his actions.
Yet, the judge said that Flynn’s “road to Damascus moment” had happened late in the process, and after the victim had to go through a trial. The court heard that what had taken place had a profound impact on the victim, and that her vulnerability was what had moved “the offending into the grave category.”
Flynn had been in business for over a decade, with his gym, previously known as the NGS gym in Mullingar, rebranded as ‘Recode’ when the incidents took place.The trial previously heard that Flynn had carried out the “predatory” sexual assault of a woman who attended his gym because she had suffered from chronic backpain.
Flynn’s Instagram page boasted over 30,000 followers, with the fitness professional regularly posting content about fitness and nutrition to the platform.
The court previously heard that there had been a “predatory aspect to the crimes committed,” and that some 18 hours of video footage had been found on Flynn’s laptop showing him making “suggestive remarks to women and massaging their breasts.”
Judge Ronan Munro noted that the footage was not shared or distributed, and that it “did not feature any non-consensual behaviour.”
In November, a jury convicted Flynn of the sexual assault on the woman after she attended an appointment at his gym, formerly called NGS (Next Gen Speed). The woman told the jury, made up of nine men and three women, how she had suffered an injury from playing sports and had sought help for long-term scoliosis as well as back pain after hearing about Flynn.
During the trial which spanned six days, jurors heard how during massage therapy, Flynn asked the victim – then in her mid-20s – to remove her bra and shorts, walking in on her while she was still in the process of removing the clothing. She alleged during the trial that when she removed her shorts, Flynn told her that “he would have taken them off me quicker.”
The trial heard how Flynn, who was not a qualified physiotherapist but had completed other courses and had qualifications in neuromuscular therapy, told her during the massage that she was “making him hard” and asked if she wanted a “happy ending” massage, the Westmeath Examiner reports. She said that he made a number of inappropriate comments and touched her breasts and pubic area, asking her “it it was his turn.”
The woman alleged that the accused told her he would finish her off in 30 seconds with just his hands, telling the court: “When I said no, he said, ‘You wouldn’t be saying that if I had my clothes off.'”
She said that she was terrified, and that the treatment was “absolutely not” like the groin injury treatment she had received previously, adding that she had no control over the situation as she lay there undressed.
In the account Flynn had given to gardai, he claimed with regards to the complainant that he had to “shoot her down” when she got the wrong idea and “crossed the line” during the massage.
A victim impact statement from the woman which was read before the court said:“After this happened to me, I completely lost my spark and became increasingly anxious. I had to take time off from my job as I processed what I had been through and availed of counselling supports offered by my employer during my absence.
“I never really experienced anxiety before this happened to me, not crippling anxiety anyway. I found myself overthinking what I was wearing, how I presented, wondering if I was too friendly towards people – all of the things I asked myself when I wondered why this happened to me. Was it something I did? or wore? Or my hair? But it wasn’t; I did nothing wrong. I started to lose part of myself, and my mental health worsened.”
The court heard that Flynn had recently been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and had been attending a psychotherapist for two years. A probation report was also brought up in court, The Westmeath Examiner reports, which also found him to be at medium risk of sexual re-offending. Flynn continually denied getting gratification from the recordings.
Meanwhile, Flynn’s partner of 11 years testified in court, saying that she was “100 per cent” standing by him.
In a statement posted to his social media account in October, Mr Flynn said he was “ashamed” of the “choices I made.”
“I want to wholeheartedly apologise to those that I have hurt, disappointed and betrayed trust by my actions a number of years ago. I deeply regret and will always be ashamed of the choices I made back then. I acted completely unprofessionally,” he said.
“I am stepping away as the owner of my business and will face the consequences for that period of my life.”