Courts / Galway / Report

Abuser fails to overturn conviction for assaults on wife's siblings

Date
2024-12-17

Stage
Appeal

Primary locality
Galway

County
Galway

Summary

A man from Galway, whose name is withheld for legal reasons, was convicted on 30 November 2022 of five counts of indecent assault against two sisters‑in‑law and one brother‑in‑law, all of whom were children at the time of the offences. The jury at the Galway Circuit Court found him guilty and Judge Brian O'Callaghan sentenced him to 23 months' imprisonment on 15 June 2023. The defendant appealed to the Court of Appeal, arguing that the verdict was "perverse" because of alleged inconsistencies in the evidence and that the trial judge had erred by refusing to sever the indictment. Ms Justice Tara Burns dismissed the appeal, stating the appellant failed to meet the high threshold for a perverse verdict and that the trial judge had not erred in refusing to separate the cases. The conviction was upheld and the appeal against conviction was dismissed. The unnamed appellant pleaded not guilty.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Abuser fails to overturn conviction for assaults on wife's siblings. Procedural stage: appeal

When:

November 30, 2022 Incident
June 15, 2023 Hearing Or Sentence
2024-12-17 Publication

Why: The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had argued at the Court of Appeal that the jury verdict was "perverse" because of "inconsistencies" in the evidence heard. CNI source report