Latest news with #Whereis
Extra.ie
5 hours ago
- Extra.ie
George Gibney to appear in US court over his potential extradition
Former Irish Olympic swimming coach George Gibney, who was arrested in the US on Tuesday, will appear before a US court on July 11 to either fight or accede to extradition to Ireland. Mr Gibney, who is now in his 70s, is facing a total of 79 charges relating to historical sex abuse allegations. Of these, 78 are for indecent assault while one is for attempted rape, court documents filed at the District Court of Orlando, Florida, have shown. These charges relate to allegations made by four girls. They were all aged between eight and 15 at the time and were being coached by Gibney at the time of the alleged abuse. Gibney remains in custody in the US. George Gibney. Pic: Eamonn Farrell/ Speaking yesterday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin praised the cooperation of members of the gardaí with the US justice system. The allegations regarding Gibney were highlighted in a BBC podcast which was released over five years ago. The Garda National Protective Services Bureau has been working on a case following the release of the podcast. After compiling a file, the DPP recommended that he be charged with over 50 historical sexual abuse offences. The Taoiseach told reporters in Japan, according to RTÉ: 'I think we all listened to the podcast. I think it's important that we have an agreement with the US. Gardaí have been working very diligently and in a detailed way, I have no doubt. We will await the next step now.' Taoiseach Micheál Martin praised the cooperation of members of the gardaí with the US justice system. Pic: Leah Farrell/ Mr Gibney served as an Olympic swimming coach in Dublin during the 1980s and 1990s, but he stepped back from the sport following a host of allegations of sexual abuse levelled against him by both male and female swimmers. He had previously appeared before Dún Laoghaire District Court in April 1993, charged with 27 counts of indecency against young swimmers. He was also charged with 'having carnal knowledge' of girls under the age of 15. He managed to stop the prosecution by taking a judicial review, where his legal team argued there was a delay in the offences coming to court. The case eventually ended up in the Supreme Court, which then ruled in Mr Gibney's favour. George Gibney. Pic: INPHO/Billy Stickland It was then that he left for the US. BBC Sounds and Second Captains produced the podcast series entitled Where is George Gibney?, in which many of Mr Gibney's alleged victims came forward to deliver harrowing testimonies about their experiences. This included 18 new people who had never spoken publicly about the alleged abuse before. 'What was striking was that no men had come forward,' creator of the podcast, Mark Horgan, said. 'There is still a stigma about men who were involved in historic sex abuse cases coming forward. 'We know George Gibney abused boys. I think it's positive for men to know that they'll be believed in Ireland and they're going to be heard too.' Mr Horgan also said that the goal of the podcast was not to get another trial or the extradition of Mr Gibney, who left the country following a failed prosecution in the Nineties. 'The aim was never to get another trial for extradition, the aim was to get the story told to as many people as possible,' he said. 'Perpetrators of abuse want these stories to remain in the dark and for parents not to be aware, and for survivors to stay silent. 'So when we started it was just to get as many people as possible to learn about the stories of George Gibney and for survivors to have their voices heard,' he told RTÉ.
RTÉ News
a day ago
- RTÉ News
Ex-swim coach Gibney faces 79 charges over alleged abuse of four girls
Former Irish national and Olympic swimming coach George Gibney is facing 79 charges in connection with the alleged sexual abuse of four girls in the 1970s and 1980s, according to court documents filed in the United States. Mr Gibney was remanded in custody by a judge in Orlando and is due back in court next Friday week. The 77-year-old was arrested on foot of international arrest warrants seeking his extradition back to Ireland to face the charges of alleged historical sexual abuse. Legal documents filed in the US District Court show Mr Gibney is wanted to face 78 counts of indecently assaulting the four girls and one count of also attempting to rape one of them. Mr Gibney was the alleged victims' coach at the time, and they were aged between eight and 15 years old according to the documents filed with the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Mr Gibney appeared at a brief hearing yesterday before Judge Daniel Irick and was remanded in custody to appear again in court for a detention hearing on Friday week, the 11 July. He submitted a financial affidavit and was granted a public defender. The US documents also show that the Dublin District Court issued 79 warrants for Mr Gibney's arrest on 6 June 2023, one for each of the alleged offences. The Irish Embassy in Washington formally requested his extradition in October last year. The 300-page court filing also says all four alleged victims contacted the gardaí between 2020 and 2022, after the BBC Podcast "Where is George Gibney" was broadcast and that the complaints were made on 4 February, 2 August and 29 September in 2021, and 20 July 2022. The alleged victims were not part of the earlier case against Mr Gibney when in 1994 he secured a High Court injunction preventing the DPP proceeding against him.
Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Former Irish swimming coach George Gibney faces 79 sexual abuse charges
Former Irish national swimming coach George Gibney faces 79 charges relating to the alleged sexual abuse of four girls after being arrested in the US. The Olympic team coach was arrested by US Marshalls in Florida on Tuesday afternoon on foot of an extradition request by gardaí. He is accused of 78 counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted rape. Gibney coached the four alleged victims in the 1970s and 1980s, when they were between the ages of eight and 15, according to the complaint lodged with the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida (Orlando). Next week, the former coach, who is in his 70s, is due before a Florida court where he will accede or contest his extradition. The court filings say the four women made complaints to gardaí between 2020 and 2022. The complaints came after the BBC podcast Where is George Gibney? re-examined the story of the Olympic coach charged with child sexual abuse but never stood trial. In 1993, the former coach at the Trojan swimming club in Dublin faced 27 charges of indecency against young swimmers. However, the prosecution was successfully halted. His lawyers argued there was a delay in the offences coming out and a lack of precision defining the specific alleged incidents. This legal challenge ended up in the Supreme Court which ruled in his favour. The charges that Gibney is now facing are in relation to different instances of alleged abuse than the charges in 1993. 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 Following the case over 30 years ago, the former swimming coach fled Ireland and spent some time in Scotland before moving to the US, where he has been living since. An investigation was then reopened by gardaí following the 2020 BBC podcast documentary and a file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions three years later. Last year, the DPP decided he should face charges in connection with allegedly abusing children that were in his care when he was a swimming coach. Gardaí then secured an extradition warrant in the High Court and it's understood they have been working with US authorities for the last six months.
Sunday World
a day ago
- Sunday World
Ex-Olympic swim coach George Gibney appears in US court ‘facing in excess of 50 charges'
He was arrested in Florida on foot of an extradition request from gardaí who have been investigating him for alleged child abuse Former Olympic swimming coach George Gibney has appeared before a US court in relation to more than 50 charges, including some for alleged indecent assault. He was arrested in Florida on foot of an extradition request from gardaí who have been investigating him for alleged child abuse. Sources said he is facing in excess of 50 charges and many of those will relate to alleged indecent assault. He was arrested at a residence in the US state. It is understood he has been remanded in custody. His arrest comes three decades after he successfully challenged previous attempt to prosecute him for alleged child sexual abuse and subsequently fled to the US. Gibney, who is now his in seventies, was subjected to a new investigation by the garda's specialist Sexual Crime Management team after a BBC podcast led to a string of fresh complaints, many dating back decades. Gardaí submitted a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions in late 2023, highlighting at least 50 allegations of abuse. The DPP directed that Gibney should be charged. Gardaí requested his extradition from the US State Department late last year, it is understood, in a protracted process involving significant paperwork that has only now concluded. US authorities notified gardaí of Gibney's arrest this evening. It is expected that he will appear in court imminently. Gibney was previously 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 1980s 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. George Gibney relocated to Florida Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 2nd 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. His extradition will be welcomed by the many former swimmers who came forward with their experiences to gardaí after the BBC podcast placed Gibney under renewed scrutiny.
RTÉ News
a day ago
- RTÉ News
Former swimming coach George Gibney arrested in US
Former Irish national swimming coach George Gibney has been arrested in the United States. Mr Gibney, who is now in his 70s, is wanted in Ireland to face over 50 historical sexual abuse charges. He was arrested in Florida by US Marshals on foot of an Irish extradition warrant. He is being detained pending a court appearance and can decide whether to accede or contest his extradition. Gardaí reopened their investigation into the former swimming coach after a number of people made allegations against him on a BBC podcast over five years ago. A specialist team within the Garda National Protective Services Bureau began a criminal investigation in 2020 and a file was sent to the DPP three years later. The Sexual Crime Management Unit within the Garda Protective Services Bureau, which specialises in investigating difficult, historic and high-profile cases of sexual abuse, conducted the investigation. The DPP examined the file and subsequently recommended that Mr Gibney be charged with more than fifty alleged offences. Gardaí then secured an extradition warrant in the High Court seeking Mr Gibney's extradition and have been working with the US authorities for over six months. Mr Gibney left Ireland 30 years ago after he secured a judicial review halting his prosecution on previous charges. He was previously charged in April 1993 with 27 counts of indecency and having carnal knowledge of girls under the age of 15. He was the coach at Trojan swimming club in Dublin and a former Irish national swimming coach. He took a judicial review in the High Court and in July 1994 secured an injunction preventing the DPP from prosecuting him on those charges. He left the country and first moved to Scotland to train young swimmers there before moving on to the US. A second garda investigation in 1997 did not result in a prosecution. Following the broadcast of the BBC podcast 'Where is George Gibney' in 2020, in which a number of alleged victims told their stories, gardaí began a new investigation.
