A MAN who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old boy in the boy’s home after he met him through a Bebo chatroom has been sentenced to three years in jail, with 18 months suspended.
Colm Twomey (39), Pouladuff Road, Togher, Cork, and Waltham Abbey, Ballincollig, Co Cork, had been found guilty by a jury at Cork Circuit Criminal Court earlier this month of sexually assaulting the boy at the boy’s home in 2007.
Det Garda Gary Duggan told the court yesterday that the teenager was on Bebo when he met Twomey in a chatroom, and that the defendant came to his house and sexually assaulted him.
The garda added: “The injured party was home using the internet, a Bebo chatroom. Contact was made with [Twomey].
“There was conversation between the two parties on line. The injured party gave him his phone number. He was then able to contact the injured party by phone.
“He [the victim] later gave his address to Colm Twomey, who drove to the injured party’s house. He let him into the house. He made the man a cup of coffee. Afterwards, Colm Twomey stood up and said, ‘Where do you want to do this?’
“The injured party felt intimidated.
“Both of them went up the stairs. While going upstairs, Mr Twomey was rubbing the boy’s bottom. They went into a rear bedroom, where Colm Twomey lowered his pants and underwear. The injured party did likewise . . .”
The detective said the injured party made a complaint to gardaí about the incident on June 18th, 2007.
Gardaí interviewed Twomey, who, after initial denials, admitted the internet and phone contact and going to the house, but he said nothing happened there.
Brian Healy, defending, said his client believed before he got to the house that the injured party was 18.
Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin said looking at the victim in the witness box yesterday there was no way he could have looked anything but a child three years ago.
The Judge described Twomey’s actions as highly predatory and, noting that he had a previous conviction for sexual assault, sentenced him to three years in jail with 18 months suspended.
He ordered his name to placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.