Dublin Bus Sexual Assault Case: Indian Software Developer Convicted

A Dublin court has convicted a 42-year-old software developer of sexually assaulting a young woman who was travelling alone on an inter-city bus. Kishor Karunakaran, who denied the allegations throughout the trial, was found guilty of the offence following detailed evidence from the victim.

The incident occurred on the night of September 13, 2024, aboard a bus travelling from Galway to Dublin. The 20-year-old woman, who was seated by a window, told the court that she initially felt something brush against her hand, which she dismissed as accidental. Moments later, she felt a deliberate touch and noticed a hand wearing a smartwatch reaching towards her.

When she turned around, she saw Karunakaran seated behind her, wearing sunglasses despite the darkness. Believing at first that he might be retrieving something he had dropped, she resumed her seat. However, she soon felt his hand touch her again—this time more deliberately—on her midsection near her bra line. Frightened and unsure how to respond, she jumped forward from her seat, changed places, and contacted her family and boyfriend. She later took photographs of the accused, though he attempted to shield his face.

The woman described the accused as “frightening,” particularly because he wore sunglasses in the dark. Her boyfriend alerted the Gardaí, who later boarded the bus in central Dublin and found both the complainant and the accused still present.

Karunakaran consistently denied any inappropriate conduct. He initially told Gardaí that he had travelled to Galway for a work-related social event, later changing his account to describe it as a party trip, and then claiming he had travelled alone without informing his family. He stated that he had dinner and drinks alone before returning to Dublin and claimed he had fallen asleep on the bus after taking medication for a heart condition. “I swear on my mother’s name, nothing happened,” he told Gardaí.

In court, the defence argued that the case was one of “he said, she said,” noting the absence of CCTV footage and questioning why the complainant did not immediately alert the bus driver. Defence counsel Paul Larkin SC also argued that it was illogical for someone who had committed such an offence to remain on the bus for hours afterward.

However, Judge John Hughes rejected the defence arguments, stating that he did not accept the accused’s version of events. The judge found Karunakaran, a married man and father of one from Fairfield, Herbert Road, Dublin 4, guilty of sexually assaulting the woman on the bus.

The case has been adjourned at Dublin District Court to allow for the preparation of probation and victim impact reports prior to sentencing.