Three men who raped an 18-year-old woman at a home on the Isle of Man have been jailed for a combined 40 years. James Doherty, 42, Steven Cannon, 46, and Graham Skillicorn, 67, were sentenced after being found guilty following a retrial at Douglas Courthouse.
Sentences handed down
Doherty was sentenced to 16 years in prison, while Cannon received 13 years and Skillicorn was jailed for 11 years. The attack took place in the early hours of June 25, 2022, after the teenager had met Doherty and Cannon at a house party in Douglas the previous evening.
The court heard that people at the party had been drinking and taking drugs before Doherty drove the teenager and Cannon to Skillicorn's home in Anagh Coar. The teenager later lost consciousness while sitting on a chair in the living room.
Details of the attack
She awoke during the early hours to find Doherty sexually assaulting her, with Cannon and Skillicorn subsequently joining the attack. Part of the assault was recorded, the court heard. Doherty was said to have played a leading role and made comments encouraging the other two men to participate.
The victim told friends and family about what had happened later that day, before her parents reported the attack to police. All three men were previously convicted of rape following a trial in 2024, but those convictions were later quashed. A second trial began on July 27, with the jury finding all three guilty of rape on Tuesday.
Judge's remarks
Sentencing the men, Deemster Sandeep Kainth described the offences as being of the “utmost gravity” and said the harm caused to the victim had been “severe and lasting”. He also said there had been “no demonstration whatsoever of genuine remorse from any one of you”. The judge described the victim as vulnerable and said she had been surrounded by men she barely knew who had treated her “as an object for sexual gratification”.
He said the attack had been a “concerted exploitation of a young woman who was intoxicated” and had begun while she was unconscious. The consequences for the victim had been “catastrophic and enduring”, he added.
Victim's statement
In a statement read to the court, the woman described persistent nightmares and flashbacks, as well as panic attacks and suicidal thoughts following the attack. She said it had been “the moment my life changed forever” and that the men had taken away her innocence and sense of self-worth. “I was just a girl, they were three men,” she said.
She also described having to give evidence during the trial as being like being raped again. “I know I've told the truth - they are the liars, not me,” she said. “I want to move on with my life. I do not want these vile people to have any hold on me.”
The three men have been placed on the sex offenders' register and issued with restraining orders banning them from contacting the victim. Deemster Kainth praised the woman's courage in reporting the attack and giving evidence during the legal proceedings. He said that without her “courage and fortitude”, “three rapists would still be out and about”.
The judge acknowledged that no sentence could undo what had happened or remove the trauma caused by the attack, but said the punishment could reflect the direct harm inflicted on the victim. He also praised her resilience, describing it as “remarkable”. The three men will now serve their respective prison sentences following the conclusion of the retrial and sentencing.
