Disgraced sex-crime charged swim coach expected in Dublin court today
Disgraced former Irish national swimming coach George Gibney is expected to face criminal charges in Dublin today.
The 77-year-old was arrested on foot of an extradition warrant in Florida earlier this month as he faces 79 charges relating to sexual offences in the 1970s and 1980s against minors.
Sources told the Sunday World that Gibney was on Monday transferred by US Marshals from Florida to a transit hub in America.
Members of the Garda extradition unit, attached to the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI), are now expected to escort him on an overnight return flight back to Dublin.
George Gibney
While sources said that the current plans could change, Gibney is expected to appear before the Dublin District Court on Tuesday morning to be formally charged.
The Director of Public Prosecutions has said that he should be charged with 79 sexual offences against four young girls between 1971 and 1981.
On June 6, 2023, the Dublin District Court issued warrants for Gibney's arrest, covering 78 counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted rape.
He has been the focus of a lengthy investigation by the Garda National Protective Services Bureau after he was tracked down to a bungalow in Orlando, Florida, by the podcast Where is George Gibney.
It appeared he was living far away from the storm over sexual abuse allegations that the BBC production had re-opened.
But when confronted by the makers of the podcast, he declined to answer questions about alleged sexual abuse.
Gibney coached children with the Trojan swimming club in Dublin in the 1970s and the 1980s.
He was a high-profile sports figure who regularly appeared in Irish media, until he was exposed for allegedly sexually abusing children.
He appeared before Dún Laoghaire District Court in April 1993 charged with 27 counts of indecency against young swimmers and of having carnal knowledge of girls under the age of 15.
The prosecution was halted after he successfully took a judicial review arguing that the delay in the offences coming to court would deny him a fair trial and also highlighting the lack of precision around specific alleged incidents.
The Supreme Court found in Gibney's favour, after which Gibney moved to Scotland and later to the US.
He continued to coach children in the US, working for a swimming club in Colorado but he lost his job after details of his past allegations in Dublin emerged.
He stayed in the US and worked in various non-swimming related roles.
George Gibney in Florida
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