Why has it taken so long to arrest George Gibney in the US to enable extradition?
George Gibney
won a legal challenge in Dublin's High Court, ensuring he escaped prosecution for the alleged sexual abuse of young swimmers he coached.
Mr Gibney was arrested in Florida on Tuesday by US Marshals on foot of an extradition request from the authorities in the Republic.
So what changed to revive law enforcement's interest in Mr Gibney?
The short answer is the BBC's Where is George Gibney? podcast. Changes in the Irish criminal justice system have also now made a prosecution possible.
The podcast series was driven by journalist Mark Horgan, co-director of the Second Captains production company, which specialises in sports-based radio broadcasts and podcasts.
The series was broadcast between 2020 and 2022. It was an extensive trawl into Mr Gibney's background, including his alleged sexual abuse of young swimmers.
It culminated in tracing him to Florida and approaching him on the street for comment. Though Mr Gibney refused to engage, many of his alleged victims were listening to the series.
Four came forward and made statements to gardaí alleging Mr Gibney had sexually abused them between 1971 and 1981. By 2021, with the statements gathered, detectives at the Sexual Crime Management Unit were deep into a criminal investigation.
Once completed, a file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). It directed in May 2023 that Mr Gibney should face trial on 79 criminal charges; one charge of attempted rape and 78 of indecent assault. The following month – June 2023 – Dublin District Court issued 79 warrants for his arrest, all done in secret.
The Irish authorities, through the Irish Embassy in Washington, last October formally requested Mr Gibney's extradition. On foot of that request, he was arrested in Florida on Tuesday, appearing in court later in the day and was remanded in custody, where he remains pending extradition.
The Irish Times has secured the latest documents relating to the case from the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
The four victims allege they were abused – often weekly – between the ages of about eight and 14. The alleged offences occurred at Mr Gibney's home, his car, the girls' homes, and in changing rooms or an office at sports centres where the girls swam; often five mornings, from 5am, and two afternoons, per week.
The BBC podcast and the impact it had in prompting the four victims to come forward are mentioned several times in the court documents from Florida. They were not the first group of alleged victims to come forward, however.
Mr Gibney had appeared before Dún Laoghaire District Court in April 1993 to face 27 counts of indecency and carnal knowledge of children. The following year, however, he successfully won a High Court judicial review, which prohibited the DPP from pressing ahead with its case against him.
Under accepted legal norms in 1994, the court effectively ruled the allegations were too old, and many details too vague, to warrant a safe prosecution.
Since the 1990s, the courts in the Republic have more frequently convicted criminals, mainly child abusers, for crimes committed decades earlier.
Victim testimony in court is now regularly the only significant evidence required to secure convictions. In many cases, convictions have been secured even when the passage of time has meant the victims' recall is incomplete around the locations, dates and other details of the abuse to which they say they were subjected.
Due to the 1994 High Court ruling relating to the 27 charges at that time, however, the State was effectively precluded from ever taking up those complaints and seeking to run a new prosecution. That meant if Mr Gibney was ever to be investigated again by the Garda, undiscovered victims had to come forward. They had to make a new set of allegations to ground a fresh investigation that did not overlap with the previous inquiry.
That did not happen until the Where is George Gibney? podcast began airing five years ago. A renewed effort to prosecute, even based on complaints from new victims, likely would have failed in the 1990s because of the ruling in 1994. It took many years for legal norms to change around how historical sexual abuse cases could be prosecuted.
The failed prosecution process against Mr Gibney in the 1990s meant he was free to leave the Republic. He tried to relaunch his coaching career in Scotland, but was forced to leave there when news of the allegations against him emerged. Mr Gibney has lived in the US since 1995.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Extra.ie
3 hours ago
- Extra.ie
How DJ Carey conned cash from real cancer victim
Shamed hurling legend DJ Carey 'preyed' on a cancer patient during her 'most vulnerable moment' and conned her into giving him thousands of euros after falsely claiming he was suffering from the same disease. The woman's husband claimed Carey, who this week pleaded guilty to 10 charges of defrauding people out of money while pretending to have cancer, 'groomed' the couple as they were trying to cope with their own health crisis. And can reveal it was this couple who first blew the whistle on the five-time All-Ireland winner's heartless scam, whose many victims include the businessman Denis O'Brien. In an interview granted on condition of anonymity, the cancer patient's husband revealed the bombshell moment they realised they were not the only ones conned by Carey. Catriona Carey. Pic: Colin Keegan/Collins Dublin It was while watching an RTÉ documentary about the former hurler's convicted fraudster sister, Catriona Carey, that they realised others could be swindled unless they did something. The cancer patient's husband told 'There was a Prime Time programme about Catriona Carey on the telly and his MO [modus operandi] seemed to be the same. 'He was so good. You're talking the Talented Mr Ripley here. He was juggling balls and living up a lot. It was a calculated approach. He was so good in his grooming. He was brilliant. It was the work of an artist, and he was consistent even to the end. 'When we saw the programme on the telly we said, 'this has to stop' and we came forward to stop it. We took our responsibilities seriously. And it has stopped. It's not easy to be a whistleblower and to stop fraud. You have to be brave. DJ Carey conned a real cancer victim by pretending he had the same disease. Pic: Colin Keegan/Collins Dublin 'People giving him money, these were acts of kindness and decency, and it wasn't reciprocated. We didn't come forward ultimately to see him punished or put behind bars. This had nothing to do with retribution. We came forward to stop it, and it has stopped.' DJ Carey is regarded as one of the country's greatest-ever hurlers, winning five All-Ireland titles with Kilkenny and nine All-Stars during a glittering sporting career. On Wednesday, the 54-year-old pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Court to 10 separate charges of defrauding people by pretending he had cancer. There were initially 21 charges against him, and 30 witnesses were due to give evidence about how they were defrauded over an eight-year period between 2014 and 2022. Dressed in a dark suit, Carey sat at the side of the courtroom and walked to the dock when his case was called. DJ Carey outside the CCJ. Pic: ©Fran Veale He stood with his hands clasped in front of him and replied 'guilty' as the court registrar read out details of each of the 10 charges. Judge Patricia Ryan remanded him on continuing bail for a sentencing hearing to take place on October 29. The court heard that victim-impact statements would be required. Carey's barrister also requested legal aid on behalf of his client to cover a psychological report that may be necessary, saying there were 'certain mental health issues'. Judge Ryan granted the application. Carey was not required to address the court again and left shortly after. No evidence was given this week about how much money the former hurler pocketed. However, some sources familiar with the case believe more than €1m was given to Carey under false pretences. Carey's legal team this week said their client has a 'genuine' heart condition and that he had mental health issues. But until the moment his lawyers indicated Carey would be pleading guilty to the changes, the sportsman had maintained his innocence. The husband of the woman battling a cancer diagnosis who was targeted by Carey said: 'He didn't co-operate until the very end. His legal team said he has a heart condition, and it's a little bit rich because he could have co-operated. He didn't co-operate; he was caught. 'He could have made an attempt to repay people… he was managing the situation right to the end.' The couple who blew the whistle on Carey's fake cancer extortion scam got to know him through business and their shared love of hurling. They were not particularly close, but he made a point of approaching the couple when he learned about their health crisis. The cancer patient's husband recalled: 'My wife was diagnosed with blood cancer in February 2021, and we were completely up the walls to be given a diagnosis. 'We were looking down the barrel of a gun, we didn't know where we were. Between diagnosis and treatment is the worse time. You are really vulnerable. He [Carey] heard about it on the grapevine, and he was Ambassador for Kilkenny Hurling at the time. I was on the field, and he made a beeline for me. 'He knew about the type of cancer my wife has, and he told me: 'That's what I have. There is hope.' He told me he was getting treatment through his elite sports status in the US. 'He mentioned where he was getting treatment in Seattle and a centre in Manchester. 'I wrote all this down in my phone and he asked could he meet my wife. He was extremely convincing. We were groomed and there was preying on our vulnerability.' At the time, the former Kilkenny hurler was living in a luxury home on the grounds of the five-star Mount Juliet Estate, where the woman diagnosed with cancer occasionally frequented. 'A few weeks after meeting him, he met my wife and he mentioned to her about going for a coffee.' Afterwards, her husband said, the text messages started to ping on her phone. Within weeks, she received a message looking for money. The retired sportsman was desperate. He needed urgent treatment. But unless he had money by the weekend, he would lose his slot at an American hospital. Carey assured the cancer patient that his elite sports status cover would kick in at the end of the month, and he assured her he would repay the money then. But once the four-figure sum was transferred, he became elusive. He was in hospital having treatment. He could not talk because he was in hospital. Rest assured, she would get her money when he got home at the weekend. But as the months passed and the money never materialised, the real-life cancer patient became convinced Carey was 'faking' his cancer. Eventually, she threatened to go public unless he paid back the money in full. Her husband said Carey called to the house a short time later with the money. Despite their ordeal, the couple say they are fortunate they were able to recover their money. Others were not so lucky. Although Carey has only pleaded guilty to 10 charges of fraud, the couple's case is among 21 charges Judge Ryan will be asked to consider when sentencing Carey on October 29. Thirteen of his named victims include Denis O'Brien, Noel Tynan, Owen and Ann Conway, Mark and Sharon Kelly, Aidan Mulligan, Tony Griffin and Christy Browne, Thomas Butler, Jeffrey Howes, Edwin Carey and Aonghus Leydon. In spite of the stress Carey caused the couple, the cancer patient's husband said: 'I don't feel any bitterness towards the chap. I don't have any of that in me. We were codded and got our money back. It's a very sad tale. It's the fall of a sporting idol. The man was like a god in Kilkenny. 'I'm sad for him, I'm sad for his kids, I'm sad for his ex-wife. He targeted people who he knew had some money, and the money was given in goodwill and in the belief that his story was true.' The man, who said his wife is responding well to her cancer treatment, added: 'Giving the money was an act of decency, and the breach of trust is greater because we all gave that money to someone we thought was in dire need. Cancer or any fake use of cancer for gain should be off-limits, and he did cross that line. It's shocking. It's despicable to do that.'
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
Oliver Plunkett's story would make a great film – it's a shame modern, secular Ireland has forgotten him
Interest in Oliver Plunkett has fluctuated over the four centuries since he was found guilty of treason in a blatant miscarriage of justice in 1681, after which he was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn . Interest may have peaked in the 1970s. In 1975, there was nearly a diplomatic incident because then taoiseach Liam Cosgrave and president Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh were vying to represent Ireland at the canonisation in Rome . Cosgrave won and even proclaimed the first reading at the canonisation Mass. Archbishop Karol Wojtyła of Kraków also attended, invited by Cardinal William Conway. Four years later, now Pope John Paul II, he prayed before the relics of St Oliver Plunkett at Drogheda before his famous plea for peace. Citing Oliver Plunkett as an exemplar of forgiveness, he begged 'in the language of passionate pleading ... on my knees ... turn away from the paths of violence and ... return to the ways of peace'. More than 50 years before, in 1920, when Terence McSwiney was Lord Mayor of Cork, Sinn Féin councillors successfully proposed that George's Street be renamed Oliver Plunkett Street in honour of his beatification. READ MORE This year marks the 400th anniversary of Oliver Plunkett's birth and the 50th since his canonisation. But in contrast, the national coverage has been scant and the response muted, aside from in places directly associated with the saint, such as Loughcrew in Co Meath, where he was born, Armagh, where he was primate, and Drogheda, the home of the national shrine in St Peter's Church. An extensive programme , concluding in November, has been held in these areas involving Masses and ecumenical services, walks, tours, exhibitions, concerts and competitions, thanks to a hard-working committee. It is not the first time that Oliver Plunkett has fallen from national attention. For example, in the 200 years after his death, only a loyal few kept his memory alive. Tommy Burns, writing in the Commemorative Book compiled by the St Oliver 400 Committee, includes in that small number the Siena Dominican Sisters in Drogheda. They preserved the executed archbishop's head for nearly 200 years, which sometimes involved great personal risk. While the relic may appear grisly to modern sensibilities, it is venerated not for ghoulish reasons but as evidence of his ultimate sacrifice for his faith. [ From the archive: Highlighting cruelty of St Oliver Plunkett's execution reaffirms our commitment to faith Opens in new window ] Oliver Plunkett's story would make a great film. He was connected to many of the Hiberno-Norman landed families. When he chose to be a priest, he also chose exile in Rome, as no seminary could operate in Ireland. He became a well-regarded professor of theology at the College for the Propagation of the Faith. When appointed as Archbishop of Armagh in 1670, the memory of Cromwell's slaughter of thousands in Drogheda and Wexford followed by deliberately induced famine that reduced the population by up to 25 per cent was still fresh. Plunkett managed to navigate a political situation where Catholics officially had no civil rights. It sometimes necessitated disguise as an English officer or hiding in caves. He worked tirelessly to be on good terms with Protestant bishops and included Protestant students in a newly established Jesuit school in Drogheda. The Irish Catholic Church was in chaos – religious orders fighting over property, alcohol-abusing priests leading scandalous lives, and the Rapparees – or partisans – launching raids. The Rapparees were viewed either as guerrilla defenders of fellow dispossessed Catholics or lawless criminals, and probably contained elements of both. Oliver Plunkett negotiated a settlement with the Rapparees in Tyrone, leading to an unprecedented peace. Some of the clerics he reprimanded or removed from office would eventually give false testimony against him, implicating him in Titus Oates' entirely fictitious Popish plot. Modern, secular Ireland does not have much space for a story like Oliver Plunkett's or, indeed, for contemporary examples of Christian persecution. But as Archbishop Eamon Martin said in a homily in Loughcrew last Sunday, 'sadly, even in 2025, martyrdom remains a reality for many of our Christian brothers and sisters around the world'. Archbishop Martin cited the recent murder of 200 Christians in western Nigeria. Fulani armed groups descended on a village full of displaced Christians and murdered them with machetes, before setting fire to their bodies. According to a UK Parliament research briefing , 4,476 Christians were killed for faith-related reasons in 2024. Seventy per cent of those killed were in Nigeria. The world mostly ignores it. The BBC recently provided a perfect example of this reluctance to ascribe religious motives in an explainer on the 200 deaths. It laid the blame on farmer versus herder conflicts and climate change before mentioning religion as an additional factor. According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, Fulani armed groups in northwest Nigeria engage in 'kidnapping, rape, property and cattle theft, illegal possession of weapons, and murder'. While the motivation behind individual attacks can be difficult to verify, they 'significantly restrict freedom of religion or belief, particularly for the predominantly Christian communities that live there'. We care about the shocking conditions of Palestinian children in Gaza because we see them daily on our screens. The courage and faith of St Oliver might remind us that other persecuted communities, including Christians, deserve visibility and no less of our concern.
Irish Independent
4 hours ago
- Irish Independent
From the Kerry archives, July 7, 2000: Courtroom fight, Ballybunion runs out of beer & Kelly talks GAA Presidency
Brawl breaks out in Tralee courtroom A mass brawl erupted in Tralee District Court on Wednesday morning moments after four defendants, including a 15-year-old boy and 16-year-old girl, were sentenced for their involvement in a high speed car chase through the town during which a Garda patrol vehicle was rammed. The incident appeared to be sparked when a woman who had been sitting in the public gallery attacked the girl, who had been the only defendant not to receive a custodial sentence. Within seconds, between 12 and 15 members of the public were fighting, with punches being thrown as people climbed over the court benches to join in the fracas. In the midst of the melee, the girl was pushed or struck to the ground. As the rest of the courtroom looked on in amazement, five Gardaí attempted to restore order. At least one man involved in the fight tried unsuccessfully to punch a Garda. One man was arrested as a result of the incident. As he was handcuffed and led away, he shouted-obscenities at both the legal system and the Gardai who he accused of trying to lynch him. When the fighting broke out, Judge Humphrey Kelleher immediately left the courtroom. The case, which arose out of an incident in the early hours of Wednesday morning, had earlier been described as extremely serious by prosecuting Inspector Barry O'Rourke, who said that it was part of the current rash of car thefts plaguing Tralee. Ballybunion runs out of beer during Irish Open Bring back the Murphy's Irish Open as soon as possible! That was the unanimous verdict this week from Ballybunion's business community — particularly its publicans, many of whom ran out of beer on Saturday night as thousands of thirsty punters thronged the North Kerry resort over the weekend. Ballybunion's debut as host club for the 2000 Irish Open was widely regarded as a resounding success. Murphy's Managing Director, Padraic Liston, declared it 'the best ever' as he handed the winner's trophy to 29-year-old Swedish golfer Patrik Sjöland beside the 18th green on Sunday afternoon. Already, the business people of the town have declared that they want the tournament back within the next few years. But committee member Fintan Scannell said the club must wait until agronomist Tom Kavanagh assesses what damage was done to the course by the estimated 40,000 spectators who followed the tournament over four days. Chairman of Ballybunion Development Company Kevin O'Callaghan said everyone involved in the tournament, particularly the Gardaí, who drew up an excellent traffic plan, could take a bow this weekend. "Ballybunion has proven itself now and there is no reason why we couldn't host another major golf tournament in the future," he said. A spectacular fireworks display and a street theatre production on Saturday night brough thousands of people into the town after the day's golf. Treasurer of the local vinter association, John Dee, said it was the biggest weekend the town had experienced in over thirty years. "I've never seen anything like the crowds. We had run out of cider, Budweiser and Heineken on Saturday night and so did other pubs. From a vintners point of view, we'd love to have it back. Fintan Scannell said the golf club may now set its sights on hosting the next Walker Cup in 2005. Kelly to seek GAA Presidency Kerry's Sean Kelly, current chairman of the Munster Council confirmed to The Kerryman on Wednesday that he would be allowing his name go forward for Presidency of the GAA in two years time. Mr Kelly, who withdrew from the race last year in order to give former Minister Council chairman Noel Walsh a 'free run', said that upon withdrawing from the race then, he had indicated that it was his intention to run for the Presidency next time round. "Once I am nominated by the Kerry County Board, I will be going for the Presidency," he said. "We have never had a Kerry President of the Association and if I'm nominated, I will be making an all-out effort to be elected. The nomination is not due to come up for another year but it's fairly well accepted that I would run.'
