Former Irish Olympic swimming coach George Gibney jailed for child sexual abuse
Representative Image: Former Irish Olympic swimming coach George Gibney was sentenced to 15 years and six months in prison on Monday. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
Representative Image: Former Irish Olympic swimming coach George Gibney was sentenced to 15 years and six months in prison on Monday. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
Former Irish Olympic swimming coach George Gibney was sentenced to 15 years and six months in prison by a Dublin court on Monday for sexually abusing four girls during the 1970s and 1980s.
The 78-year-old, who was extradited from the United States last year, was convicted in July of 39 counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted rape involving offences committed between 1971 and 1981.
Judge Micheal O’Higgins described Gibney as a manipulative predator who systematically exploited his position of authority as a swimming coach to abuse children under his care.
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The victims, aged between eight and 13 at the time, were assaulted at various locations, including Gibney’s car while travelling to swimming practice, his office and his home.
Gibney, who coached swimmers at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, subsequently served as Ireland’s head swimming coach at the 1988 Seoul Games.
He was initially charged with 27 child sexual abuse offences in 1993 but successfully challenged the prosecution through a judicial review, arguing that too much time had elapsed since the alleged offences.
The case remained unresolved for decades before a 2020 BBC podcast investigating Gibney’s whereabouts prompted fresh allegations and a renewed police investigation.
Gibney was arrested in Florida in 2025 and extradited to Ireland, where he subsequently stood trial.
Published on Oct 12, 2026
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