George Gibney to appear in court after returning to Dublin from the US
, the former Irish swimming team coach, has been extradited to the State from the
US
and was being held at a Dublin
Garda station
on Tuesday morning pending a court appearance.
The 77-year-old, who arrived on an early morning flight accompanied by gardaí, was due to appear before a judge at the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin after 10.30am.
Mr Gibney was due before the courts to face a total of 79 charges – 78 of alleged indecent assault and one alleged attempted rape.
The charges arise from a Garda investigation commenced four years ago arising from allegations made by four women. The alleged offences are alleged to have occurred on dates between 1971 and 1981 when the complainants were aged between eight years and 14 to 15 years.
READ MORE
Mr Gibney left Ireland in 1994 and settled in the US the following year, where he has lived since.
Earlier this month he dropped a request for a detention hearing in Florida and consented to his extradition to the State, clearing the way for his return.
That process, managed by members of the Garda Extradition Unit, which is part of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, has now been completed.
The extradition request was sent in October by Irish authorities to US law enforcement, via the Irish Embassy in Washington DC.
Mr Gibney, who settled in the US in 1995, was arrested in Florida on July 1st by US Marshalls and has remained in custody pending the extradition process.
Garda headquarters said in a statement on Tuesday: 'Following an extradition from the United States of America at the request of the Irish authorities, a male (70s) was arrested by Gardaí attached to the Garda National Protective Services Bureau this morning, Tuesday 22nd July 2025 and is being brought before a sitting at the Criminal Courts of Justice at approximately 10:30am.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Garda probe launched after gang of men burst into Limerick pub armed with knives
Gardaí have launched an investigation after a public order incident involving a number of men at a Co Limerick pub. On Sunday, a group of men are understood to have burst into a pub in Newcastle West at around 10pm armed with knives and bottles of chemicals, Limerick Live reports. No criminal damage or persons injured has been reported, at this time. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week Gardaí confirmed that investigations are ongoing as they appeal for any witnesses to this incident to come forward. A Garda spokesperson told the Irish Mirror: "Gardaí in Newcastle West are investigating an incident of public order involving a number of males that occurred at a commercial premises in Newbridge, Co. Limerick on Sunday night 10 August at approximately 10pm." They added: "Anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident is asked to make contact with investigating Gardaí at Newcastle West. "Gardaí can be contacted at the Newcastle West Garda Station on 069 20650, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station." Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Irish Times
7 hours ago
- Irish Times
Victim's family condemns ‘disgusting' Féile na Phobail tribute to Brendan ‘Bik' McFarlane
The family of a young woman murdered during the Troubles has called the tribute paid to her killer at Féile an Phobail as 'absolutely disgusting'. An image of Brendan 'Bik' McFarlane appeared on the screen during a show by Scottish band Shebeen at the closing night of Féile an Phobail in Belfast on Sunday night. Féile an Phobail , which bills itself as Ireland's biggest community arts festival, is partially funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs ' Reconciliation Fund, which gave €157,704 in 2022. Linda Boyle (17) was killed during a machine gun and bomb attack on the Bayardo Bar on the Shankill Road in August 1975 McFarlane, who died earlier this year, was convicted and sentenced for the Bayardo Bar massacre which occurred 50 years ago on August 13th, 1975. READ MORE Then aged 23, he and two others, Peter Christopher Skeet Hamilton (22) and Séamus Joseph Clarke (19) carried out a bomb and gun attack on the pub they suspected of being used by UVF members. A tribute to Brendan 'Bik' McFarlane on the screen at the Falls Park tonight as Shebeen sing Marcella, the song Bik wrote in memory of his friend and comrade Bobby Sands. — Féile an Phobail (@FeileBelfast) Two civilians were machine-gunned to death outside the pub while three more died in the subsequent explosion which injured dozens of people. Among those killed in the Bayardo Bar massacre was 17-year-old Linda Boyle. In a statement marking the 50th anniversary, Ms Boyle's family said what happened on Sunday night – which was shared on the Féile an Phobail social media channel – was a 'sick tribute'. They added: 'We can barely find the words to express how we feel about what happened. It's so depressing that these things happen, and it's not an isolated incident, almost weekly we see instances of glorification of terrorism and what's done about it? 'We rejoice in how Linda lived and the values she represented, and no one will ever take that away from us.' They stated that Linda was a 'stylish young woman who was caring and friendly and who had a real zest for life. 'She would now be of retirement age and would be at a point where she should be relaxing and exploring a further chapter of life, Linda's storybook was ended before she got beyond her first chapter.' The South East Fermanagh Foundation, which supports victims of the Troubles, said the events of Sunday night were part of a 'concerted campaign on the part of Irish republicans to infiltrate the genre of traditional Irish music, to integrate what was once fringe rebel music into the mainstream'. McFarlane was officer commanding in the H Blocks during the hunger strikes of 1981. According to David Beresford, the author of the 1987 book Ten Men Dead, McFarlane's crimes were such that it would have been a 'one-man public relations disaster' had he gone on hunger strike too. McFarlane escaped from the Maze Prison in September 1983. He was later charged in connection with the kidnapping of businessman Don Tidey , a case that went on for nearly a decade. Mr Tidey was kidnapped in November 1983. He was kept in a hideout in Derrada Wood outside Ballinamore in Co Leitrim until December 16th of that year when it was discovered by a search party involving gardaí and army personnel. Pte Patrick Kelly and recruit Garda Gary Sheehan were shot dead by the IRA gang when they came across the hideout 23 days after Tidey's abduction. The gang also shot and seriously wounded Det Sgt Donie Kelleher before fleeing. McFarlane was named by gardaí as a suspect in the aftermath of the events of Derrada Wood even before forensic evidence confirmed that his fingerprints were found in the hideout. A garda at the scene later identified McFarlane as one of the gunmen who shot directly at him during the escape. McFarlane allegedly confessed to the kidnapping and murders at Dundalk Garda station after being arrested in 1998. After a lengthy trial process, the confession was deemed as inadmissible and the case collapsed.
Irish Times
7 hours ago
- Irish Times
DPP mulls decision on perjury prosecution over withdrawn evidence in Conor McGregor appeal
A decision is expected later this year on whether to bring a perjury prosecution over new evidence dramatically withdrawn on the eve of Conor McGregor's failed appeal against a civil jury finding that he raped Nikita Hand. Should the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decide to prosecute, it will mark only the second prosecution under a 2021 perjury law and just the sixth prosecution for perjury in the past decade. The new evidence is being investigated by gardaí for possible perjury. On foot of the investigation report, the DPP will decide if there is any basis to bring a prosecution. Ms Hand was awarded €250,000 damages by a High Court jury last November when it found Mr McGregor assaulted her in Dublin's Beacon Hotel on December 9th, 2018. Last month, he was ordered to pay her legal costs, estimated at more than €1.5 million, after his appeal against the jury finding was dismissed. READ MORE The Court of Appeal agreed to refer the withdrawn evidence and related material for consideration of possible perjury. It includes sworn statements by Samantha O'Reilly and her partner Steven Cummins, who lived across the road from Ms Hand in Drimnagh, Dublin, for a time. Ms O'Reilly claimed that from a room in her house, she heard and saw what appeared to be a physical altercation between Ms Hand and her then partner, Stephen Redmond, on the night of December 9/10th 2018. That evidence, Mr McGregor claimed, bolstered his insistence he was not responsible for extensive bruising on the body of Ms Hand, noted by a doctor on December 10th 2018. In a replying affidavit, Ms Hand described the neighbours' claims as 'lies' and said Mr Redmond never assaulted her during their relationship. Just one prosecution has been taken to date under the Criminal Justice (Perjury and Related Offences) Act 2021, which made perjury a criminal offence. The Office of the DPP told The Irish Times that prosecution had resulted in a conviction but said it could not disclose details of the case. The DPP has brought five prosecutions for perjury, including that under the 2021 Act, over the past decade. Before the 2021 Act, perjury offences were prosecuted under common law. Of the five prosecutions since 2015, three resulted in a conviction, one in a decision not to prosecute further because the suspect had died, and one is outstanding. Much of the motivation for the 2021 Act, aimed at making it easier to prosecute for perjury, was to help in bringing down insurance costs by deterring false or fraudulent claims. Senior counsel Ronan Lupton said the Act sets out 'in clear terms' what perjury is – the giving by a person of a 'material' statement in evidence or on affidavit that they know to be false. The Act introduces, for the first time, an offence of 'suborning' (inducing) perjury, he noted. That involves procuring, persuading, inducing or otherwise causing another person to commit perjury, knowing or being reckless whether the other person is committing that offence. The Act provides for penalties of up to 12 months for conviction on a summary offence, and up to 10 years for conviction on indictment. A legal source with experience in prosecutions over alleged false evidence, who did not wish to be identified, believes the difficulty of bringing home successful prosecutions in such cases has contributed to a reluctance within the DPP's office to prosecute them. Whether that will change under the new Act remains to be seen, he said. 'The risk of failure, and the potential costs involved in some cases, are important factors to weigh up. In some cases, every fact could be put at issue. Proving a deliberate lie is a difficult hurdle for any prosecutor.' Proving the offence of suborning perjury presents even more difficulty, he added. In its 2022 post-enactment report on the 2021 Act, the Department of Justice said some people have 'all too frequently' deliberately lied in court or misrepresented the truth in affidavits and the Act was developed to create 'significant deterrents' against that. The Act was envisaged as part of a package of government measures dealing with insurance issues, insurance fraud and exaggerated claims, it said. The report noted that, while the offence of perjury was already provided for in common law, the historic levels of investigations and prosecutions for perjury were 'low'. It was satisfied that the Act 'will play an important role in providing a clearer legal framework through which our law enforcement authorities may be guided in decisively taking action in the area of perjury' and expected it will, over time, have an impact on the numbers of complaints, investigations and prosecutions.
