Pair jailed for terrifying attack on woman

Two Cork men beat up a young woman in her home — with one man tying her hands with a cord while his accomplice cut her long hair with a knife as she was lying on the floor.

Brian Kenneally, of 110 Ardcullen, Hollyhill, Cork, yesterday admitted assault causing harm, falsely imprisoning, and stealing property at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin sentenced him to seven years in prison, with the last 18 months suspended.

Eoin Hogan of 8 Ashling Court, Lehenaghmore, Togher, Cork, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and theft. He was jailed for three years.

Kenneally, who had 100 previous convictions, was described as instigating the attack. Hogan, who had 41 convictions, joined in “royally,” the judge said.

Judge Ó Donnabháin said it was an absolutely horrendous attack on a young woman in her own home.

“Ye absolutely pucked and beat the living daylights out of her, cutting her hair and stabbing her. Ye absolutely terrorised her. This is an exceptional crime with extreme violence and shades of wanting to humiliate this girl when ye had her down.

“She had to beg ye to leave her alone. She was perhaps lucky to get away from ye.”

Detective Garda Niall O’Connell said Hogan had been in a relationship with the woman and that Kenneally called to the house with another woman and they all drank together. The violence started when Kenneally hit the victim across the face and punched her to the floor and used an electrical cord to tie her wrists together. He then kicked her in the face. Hogan also kicked her in the face and cut her hair with a knife.

Blaise O’Carroll, defending Hogan, introduced the allegation about a rape threat. “At some stage in the attack by Mr Kenneally, he stated he was going to rape her but Mr Hogan called on Mr Kenneally to stop that.”

Kenneally was not charged in relation to that allegation by Hogan’s counsel against him yesterday.

Alice Fawsett, defending Kenneally, said he always denied making the threat to rape the woman, but admitted the other charges.

Ms Fawsett offered an apology to the young woman on Kenneally’s behalf. The judge said he could understand why the injured party was shaking her head.

She said: “Basically, after it happened, I have not felt safe. I have been very depressed. I think about it every day. It seems like it was yesterday. It is 16 months ago and it is not going anywhere. It won’t go away.

“I thought I was going to die. I thought this was the end.

“They basically kicked me around, punched me, tied me up and I cannot get it out of my head. It is affecting my family. I am crying about it every day. Some days I don’t get out of bed at all. I just feel I am not the same person.”

The property stolen from her included eight gold rings pulled from her fingers, a phone, earrings, a cardigan and a TV. The ordeal ended when she took an opportunity to escape and alerted sleeping neighbours who called the gardaí.