A 44-year-old software developer, Kishor Karunakaran, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman on a bus, said he was honeytrapped, got fired from his job at Amazon, and can't find work since the incident. In an exclusive interview with Sunday World, the father of one said he was not a creep but a "valued professional" and his wife stood by him through the conviction because of that.
"Basically, nothing happened. The whole thing was made up," he said.
"I feel like they're trying to get the compensation. I am thinking it's like a honeytrap or that kind of thing," he said.
Groping incident on Dublin bus in 2024
A woman who was in her 20s alleged that she was in a window seat when she felt fingertips touching her. When she turned around, she said she saw Karunakaran sitting behind her wearing sunglasses, which she said looked creepy. The touching continued, and the woman changed her seat, informed her family members, boyfriend, who informed the police. Karunakaran denied the entire thing and initially told the police that he was asleep for the entire journey. His lawyer asked the victim why she had not alerted anyone on the bus. The woman testified in court that she alerted her family members, who asked her to alert the bus driver. But she was scared and did not tell anyone on the bus also because she did not want to delay the bus.
Karunakaran was caught lying as he told his family that he went to a work party but he was on his way to Galway to have a meal at a particular restaurant, he later said. He said he was wearing sunglasses so that he could sleep. He said he did not even know he was photographed but accepted that he was the man in the photo.
The surveillance system on board did not record due to a corrupted hard drive. The defence argued that it was a "he said, she said" case with no witnesses. Judge John Hughes said he considered the evidence and credibility of the witnesses and rejected Karunakaran's evidence.
