"I woke up and saw a gentleman, a Hilton employee, assaulting me." With these words Peter Brennan, a native of Texas, described what happened to him on March 30 during a business trip to Nashville, in the state of Tennessee (United States). The assault he suffered, which he has described to a local television channel, was of a sexual nature: the employee, who turned out to be the night shift manager, was sucking on his toes.

The Nashville Metropolitan Police charge David Neal, 52, with two counts: aggravated robbery and sexual assault. According to his reconstruction of the facts, the night manager of the hotel entered the client's room at five in the morning using a master key. When he woke up frightened, the guest recognized him as the person who, accompanied by another worker, had entered his room the day before after a warning about a problem on television. He was in uniform and with his name visible.

"It was like a nightmare, it didn't make sense, why was that person touching me?" the assaulted guest told local media. As the security of the establishment did not help him, he decided to call the police. Finally, it has not only taken legal action against David Neal, but also against the hotel. His lawyer has stated that the defendant had a criminal record that should have been checked before hiring him.

While a Hilton spokesperson said the hotel is operated by an independent owner, he said, "The safety of guests and staff members is a top priority." As he has said, they are collaborating with the police in an open investigation and on which they do not want to comment.

David Neal, in the image provided by the Police

According to the police statement, Neal admitted that he had entered the room, but said he did so because he smelled smoke and wanted to check that the occupant was okay. But he did not warn that security of that detail nor are there data on that alleged smell of smoke. When asked about the key he had entered with, he said he had thrown it away. The police state that it has not been recovered.

The investigation concludes for now with an arrest warrant against the hotel employee. David Neal was arrested a few days ago at his home and is in prison, where he will leave if he pays a bail of $ 27,000. The trial hearing will be held in early June. The episode has not been closed for his victim either. "I'm having trouble sleeping, I'm going through PTSD, talking to a therapist," Brennan said. He said he doesn't feel safe even in his own home.

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