A MARRIED farmer and father of four was unanimously found guilty by a jury of raping a man on two separate occasions.
Thomas ‘Tossy’ Nyhan (64), from Crookstown, County Cork, can be named for the first time after a judge lifted reporting restrictions following an 11-day trial at the Central Criminal Court in Limerick.
Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring ordered that no details be reported that might lead to the identification of the victim, who told the court that the rapes felt like “barbed wire” inside him.
Mr Nyhan had denied two counts of anal rape of the victim at a location in Munster in January 2011 and April 2019.
When questioned about the rapes by Gardaí in May 2019, Nyhan accepted some sexual activity had occurred between him and the victim, but he denied raping him, the court heard.
The rape allegations, which were presented in court by prosecuting senior counsel Fionnuala O’Sullivan and prosecuting barrister Lily Buckley, instructed by Aoife O’Halloran, Chief State Solicitor’s Office, surfaced when the victim told his GP following the second rape.
During the trial, and while under cross examination by Nyhan’s barrister, senior counsel Mark Nicholas, the victim agreed that he had remained in regular contact with Nyhan following the first rape in 2011.
The victim denied claims by Nyhan that he had asked him for money for sex and that he had grabbed Nyhan’s “crotch” a number of times.
He said Nyhan’s claims were “lies”.
Speaking about the rapes, the victim told the court: “I told him to stop, I didn’t like it.”
When asked by Mr Nicholas what he was doing when he alleged that Nyhan was removing his trousers and underpants, the victim replied: “I was just scared, I just froze.”
Mr Nicholas said Nyhan claimed the victim asked him for €150 cash for sex, and that the victim had removed his own clothes for sex.
Mr Nicholas suggested the victim had been in possession of a knife and that, as Nyhan “was afraid you’d harm yourself”, “he pretended to go along with it”.
The victim told the court this was “bulls**t”.
The victim told the court Nyhan threw him on the bed and, despite pleading with Nyhan to stop, the farmer “thrust” himself into the victim, told him he “loved” him, and raped him.
The victim told the court Nyhan’s denials were “lies”.
“It was like hell, like something burning you,” the victim said, breaking down in tears as he was giving his evidence.
Nyhan was remanded on bail for sentencing on June 23.
