Man poured boiling water on sleeping wife: 'Beyond cruel'
A man who poured a kettle of boiling water over his sleeping wife and attacked her with a claw hammer will be sentenced in November.
Noel Twomey of Carbery Grove, Knocknaheeny in Cork previously pleaded guilty to two counts of assault causing harm to his wife of forty years, Jackie Twomey, on January 15th, 2024.
The 63 year old was due to be sentenced today at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Dermot Sheehan had agreed to adjourn sentencing last month to facilitate the preparation of a psychiatric report on the accused. However, the court today heard that a doctor had indicated that there was no basis for a referral through the prison system.
Defence barrister Seamus Roche, SC, said that his client 'clearly has difficulties' which need to be assessed. Efforts will be made to obtain a private psychiatric report prior to the sentencing hearing in November.
Meanwhile, Ms Twomey previously gave a victim impact statement in relation to the trauma which was inflicted on her by her husband. The mother of three said that 'her life changed' forever on January 15th, 2024 when her husband Noel 'brutally assaulted' her in her bedroom.
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Ms Twomey (63) said that Noel Twomey came in to her bedroom armed with a kettle of boiling water and a claw hammer and attacked her with both. "It was beyond cruel and evil what he did to me. He poured the boiling water on me and hit me a number of times over the head with the hammer. He didn't seem to care about the damage he was doing to me. I thought I was going to die.
I remember the pain and screaming. I couldn't believe what was happening. I was in CUH for six days and needed a lot of follow up care. That was the physical side. The psychological trauma is worse. I don't think I will ever be the same person as I was before that night.'
Ms Twomey fears going to bed at night following the attack on her person by her husband . 'The nightmares return every night, the pain and memories are there al the time but worse at night. It's hard to put in words how my life has changed and the anxiety and terror that have become part of my life. I should have been safe asleep in my own bed. I need that evil man to be gone for good.'
Meanwhile, Det Garda Michael Dolan previously told Judge Dermot Sheehan that Mr Twomey was arrested at 5am on January 15th, 2024 at Bakers Road in Gurranabraher in Cork after he flagged down a patrol car. Ms Twomey had gone to sleep in the safety of her own bed at around 3.30am having arrived home from a social occasion.
Det Garda Dolan stated that Mr Twomey made a very conscious decision to boil a pot of water on the stove and to retrieve a claw hammer from his tool box. Det Garda Dolan noted that Mr Twomey 'considered his actions for a short period' and then entered the bedroom where his wife was sleeping.
He hit her in the head a number of times with a claw hammer and poured the boiling water over her. Dt Garda Dolan said that Mr Twomey later described the movements of his wife from that night. He had watched the CCTV system that was on the exterior of the property.
Det Garda Dolan said that Mr Twomey expressed surprise that his was able to jump up and leave the property following his offending behaviour.
He also left the property and flagged down a patrol car. He was visibly soaked in blood and in possession of a blood-stained hammer in a plastic bag. Ms Twomey was treated in intensive care following the incident. A medical report was furnished to the court. Ms Twomey still suffers from 'obvious scarring' to her scalp arising out of the attack.
She has a 3.5cm scar on her scalp. When she was hospitalised there was concern that her extensive burns could lead to sepsis. Doctors say that Ms Twomey narrowly avoided a serious cranial injury. She suffers from PTSD arising out of the incident. Mr Twomey will be sentenced on November 26th next. He was further remanded in custody until his next court appearance.
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