A Circuit Courtroom pass judgement on who resigned previous this life next being convicted of sexually assaulting six men on dates within the Nineteen Nineties is because of be sentenced nowadays.
Gerard O’Brien used to be convicted by means of a jury on the Central Legal Courtroom terminating December of sexually assaulting six men, elderly between 17 and 24 on the month of the offences. He used to be additionally convicted of tried rape of one of the most six.
The offences passed off on dates between 1991 and 1997 when O’Brien labored as a mentor at a 2d stage faculty in Co Dublin. 4 of the men have been his pupils or former pupils.
On account of phocomelia, an extraordinary beginning problem, O’Brien, now elderly 59 and with an deal with in Thurles, Co Tipperary, used to be born with out hands and with only one leg and wishes help dressing and moving to the bathroom.
All through the 4 presen trial, 5 complainants gave proof they’d, on isolated events, stayed in a single day in his place of abode to aid him within the morning with dressing and moving to the bathroom. They mentioned they’d been consuming, as had O’Brien, and woke to seek out him acting sexual acts on them to which they’d now not consented.
One complainant mentioned O’Brien sexually assaulted him year he used to be bringing him to the bathroom in a pub.
O’Brien, who denied the fees, used to be convicted by means of unanimous jury verdict on December twenty second terminating.
Mr Justice Alexander Owens adjourned sentence to March 4th however sentencing used to be additional adjourned as a result of a mental record on O’Brien used to be awaited.
On the month of conviction, the pass judgement on mentioned he would have remanded O’Brien in custody however for the particular instances shape him.
O’Brien used to be remanded on bail pending sentence and his identify robotically went at the sign up of intercourse offenders following his conviction.
The pass judgement on is anticipated to impose sentence next listening to sufferer have an effect on statements nowadays from 3 of the survivors and taking into consideration the mental record.
Within the tournament of a custodial sentence, the Irish Jail Carrier, which has services and products for disabled prisoners, is anticipated to position a plan in park to handle O’Brien’s status.
Straight away following O’Brien’s conviction in past due December, the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, mentioned those have been “appalling cases of sexual assault” and mentioned she used to be in quest of recommendation from the Lawyer Basic in regards to the choices unhidden to Executive and the Oireachtas in regards to the subject.
Reiterating her effort of “zero tolerance” for all modes of home, sexual and gender-based violence right here, the Minister mentioned O’Brien’s conviction used to be “clear proof” that no person is above the regulation or exempted from prosecution for such crimes.
On January sixth terminating, the Minister introduced O’Brien had submitted his depart as a pass judgement on with rapid impact.
Ahead of embarking on a educating profession, O’Brien certified as a solicitor. Having been unsuccessful in getting paintings as a legal professional, he connect educating hours at a secondary faculty in Dublin all the way through the Nineteen Nineties. Next he ceased educating within the past due Nineteen Nineties, he returned to a prison profession and established his personal company, Gerard O’Brien Solicitors, in 2006.
Operating for Fianna Fáil, he used to be elected to Thurles City District Council in 2009 however resigned as a councillor in 2012 upon his appointment as Shape Solicitor for North Tipperary. In 2014, he used to be appointed to the Circuit Courtroom bench.
Formal lawsuits have been made to gardaí in 2019 in regards to the alleged offences within the Nineteen Nineties and, next an investigation led by means of Inspector Jonathan Hayes of the Garda Nationwide Coverage Services and products Bureau, O’Brien used to be charged in 2021.
