Noel Twomey poured kettle over wife as she slept – she was rushed to intensive care
08:18, 29 Nov 2025Updated 12:16, 29 Nov 2025
64-year-old Noel Twomey of 18 Carbery Grove, Knocknaheeny, Cork who appeared at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.
Pic Cork Courts Limited(Image: Cork Courts)
A 64-year-old man who poured a kettle of boiling water over his sleeping wife and attacked her with a claw hammer is to be given “one last chance” to obtain a psychiatric report prior to his sentencing hearing.
Noel Twomey of Carbery Grove, Knocknaheeny in Cork city pleaded guilty in November of last year to two counts of assault causing harm to his wife of forty years, Jackie Twomey. The attack occurred at the family home on January 15th, 2024.
Doctors indicated that Mrs Twomey narrowly avoided sustaining a serious cranial injury in the incident. They were also concerned that her extensive burns could lead to sepsis.
The 63-year-old mother of three suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder following the attack on her person. She still has a 3.5cm scar on her scalp arising out the incident.
Today (Friday) at a sitting of Cork Circuit Criminal Court Paula McCarthy BL, for the State said that Mrs Twomey was “anxious” to have the matter finalised. The victim impact statement in the case was delivered in May of this year.
Defence barrister Seamus Roche SC, said that significant efforts had been made to secure a private psychiatric report for his client. Mr Roche indicated that delays in securing such reports were now a major problem for the courts. He said a report would help indicate whether the mental state of his client “is related to his culpability.”
Judge Dermot Sheehan directed that that the prison psychiatric service prepared a report in advance of a sentencing hearing on February 16th, 2026.
Judge Sheehan said that the offence carries a headline sentence of 10 to 15 years with Mr Twomey facing “a substantial custodial sentence no matter what.” Mr Twomey was further remanded in custody until the sentencing hearing.
Meanwhile, Jackie Twomey previously told the court that her “life changed forever” in January of 2024 when her husband Noel “brutally assaulted” her in her bedroom.
Mrs Twomey said that her husband 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.
Mrs 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.”
Det Garda Michael Dolan previously told Judge 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.
Mrs 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 said 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 he 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. Mrs Twomey was treated in intensive care following the incident.
