Courts / Cork / Report
Man sexually assaulted sleeping teenagers at different house parties
Summary
Christopher Twohig, aged 24, was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15‑year‑old girl at a house party in Cork in 2011 and a 19‑year‑old girl at another house party in Cork in 2014. In the first incident, the victim had gone to sleep on the couch; Twohig partially removed her clothing, touched her breasts and penetrated her vagina for about fifteen minutes. In the second incident, the 19‑year‑old had gone to sleep alone in a room; Twohig was found beside her and digitally penetrated her. Twohig pleaded guilty early, admitted full involvement, and was described as genuinely remorseful. He was sentenced to four years' imprisonment with the final year suspended, plus a concurrent 12‑month term for the first offence. His appeal against the sentence was dismissed by the Court of Appeal, which found the sentence "arguably lenient" but not disproportionate. The Court upheld the three‑year effective custodial period.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Man sexually assaulted sleeping teenagers at different house parties. Charges or matters: sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl while she appeared to be asleep at a house party in Cork in 2011 and sexually assaulting a 19-year-old girl who had gone to sleep in a room on her own in Cork in 2014. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- June 23, 2017 Incident
- 2018-05-14 Publication
Why: The sentencing judge said the second offence was "alarming" because of its similarity to the first offence three years earlier. CNI source report
Case subjects
Appellant
Charges: sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl while she appeared to be asleep at a house party in Cork in 2011 and sexually assaulting a 19-year-old girl who had gone to sleep in a room on her own in Cork in 2014 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: He was sentenced to four years imprisonment with the final year suspended at Cork Circuit Criminal Court by Judge Sean O Donnabhain on June 23, 2017. Twohig lost an appeal against his sentence today, with the Court of Appeal holding that his sentence was "arguably lenient".
Places mentioned
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