George Gibney, an Irish Olympic Swimming coach from the 1984 and 1988, was arrested this afternoon in Florida on greater than 50 sexual abuse costs.
The case first started in 1993 when he was charged with 27 counts of sexual abuse associated crimes together with ‘indecency’ and ‘having carnal data of women below the age of 15’. The case was dismissed as a result of size of time for the reason that crimes had allegedly occurred, however in 1997, new allegations have been made and a brand new investigation was opened.
Gibney moved to the USA in 1995, the place he even coached for a USA Swimming age-group crew in suburban Denver. In 2000, a Colorado police report addressed considerations that Gibney was taking part in a ‘pedophile ring’ that traveled with youngsters from his Catholic church’s parish to Peru. Journalist Irvin Muchnik opened a Freedom of Data Act, or FOIA, case into this report greater than a decade later, and FBI brokers have been despatched to Peru to analyze afterwards.
In 2020, this entire case was introduced again into the forefront as a result of a BBC podcast titled The place is George Gibney. Because of the podcast, 18 extra victims got here ahead with new data. This led to the gardai (the Irish police) to submit a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions in 2023.
The Irish Instances studies that late final 12 months, the gardai submitted an extradition request to U.S. authorities. After receiving the request, U.S. officers needed to evaluation and course of the paperwork earlier than complying with the arrest, which they did right this moment in Florida.
Gibney shall be detained within the U.S. till he seems in court docket, the place he can both contest his extradition or settle for it and return to Eire and face costs.
The BBC podcast refers to this case as “one of many largest sexual abuse scandals in sports activities historical past”, together with the Larry Nassar case in USA gymnastics and the Barry Bernell case in UK soccer.
