Courts / Cork / Report

Rapist who threatened to cut ex's fingers off with secateurs fails in appeal

Date
2024-12-12

Stage
Appeal

Primary locality
Cork

County
Cork

Summary

In a Court of Appeal hearing on 12 December 2024, Ms Justice Tara Burns dismissed the appeal of a 59‑year‑old man convicted in July 2022 of rape, sexual assault, threats to kill, assault causing harm, intimidation of a witness, property damage and trespass. The appellant had threatened to cut his former partner's fingers with secateurs, broken into her home, and claimed he had paid €10,000 to kill her if he went to prison. He argued that the trial judge erred by not fully outlining the defence case and by misdirecting the jury on the victim's demeanour. Justice Burns found the judge's conduct appropriate, noting that the defence evidence was presented in memoranda of interview and that the judge had re‑charged the jury correctly. The appeal was therefore rejected, leaving the original ten‑year sentence intact. The case involved the victim's two adult sons and her subsequent temporary displacement from her home.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Rapist who threatened to cut ex's fingers off with secateurs fails in appeal. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Convicted

When:

July 2022 Incident
August 2019 Incident
2024-12-12 Publication

Why: In his charge to the jury, the trial judge explained that he was not going to summarise the evidence given by any witnesses during the trial as it was a short case, telling the jury that if they had any difficulty or doubt in their minds about what a witness had said, they could come back to him for clarification. CNI source report