Dennis Cohalan pleads guilty to sexual assault, rape in Wangaratta court

A Wodonga methhead offered to help an acquaintance after she’d been in a fight before he sexually assaulted her, then assaulting another woman just three weeks later.

A man who is charged with rape and sexual assault is facing a “lengthy” prison term.

A Wodonga methhead offered to help an acquaintance after she’d been in a fight before he sexually assaulted her, then assaulting another woman just three weeks later.

Dennis Cohalan pleaded guilty in the Wangaratta County Court on Thursday to one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault after he attacked two women in the space of a month in 2018.

In the first instance, after offering to support the woman, Cohalan touched her shoulders, feet and legs despite her protests.

She then fell asleep on the couch.

The next morning, the woman woke to the 58-year-old sexually assaulting her.

She demanded he leave, ran outside and called the police.

Three weeks later, the drug addict met with another woman to exchange ice.

Dennis Cohalan pleaded guilty in the Wangaratta County Court to three charges.

Again, the second woman fell asleep on the couch and woke to Cohalan sexually assaulting her, questioning him and tell him to “get off”.

Cohalan was charged and bailed a few months later but then absconded to Queensland, causing a lengthy delay in proceedings, the court heard.

Judge Anne Hassan said he was responsible for “increased anguish” of his victims due to those actions, adding he was facing a “lengthy period of imprisonment”.

Defence lawyer Martin Kozlowski blamed Cohalan’s daily use of methylamphetamine for his offending but told the court his client had addressed his “serious” addiction.

Mr Kozlowski said the two assaults were his first of a sexual nature, and he had been assessed as having a moderate to low risk of reoffending.

He said Cohalan had a plan for his future after his sentence to work in a mine in Queensland.

Cohalan has been in custody for 186 days and has been working as a prison support worker in cleaning and transport while in custody.

Cohalan will be sentenced in the Melbourne County Court on March 20.