Dublin Rape Crisis Centre welcomes sentencing of George Gibney to over 15 years in jail

Chief Executive of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, Rachel Morrogh, said: “Half a century since the abuses took place, the court has sent an unambiguous message that George Gibney’s victims are believed, that it was never their fault and that all the shame and blame lies with the perpetrator - the paedophile George Gibney. Although he evaded justice for far too long, his day of reckoning has come thanks to the tireless, courageous and determined efforts of survivors and their supporters.

“Today’s long sentence is also a validation for all those who came forward in the early 1990s, including young swimmers, who made statements that led to George Gibney facing charges of indecent assault at that time. I think it’s really important to recognise that although those cases didn’t proceed, it didn’t mean that those abuses didn’t happen. I therefore hope that today’s sentence is not only a relief for the four incredible women who took the current cases against Mr Gibney, but for all those who have ever been part of this fight for justice over many decades.

“As well the verdict itself, a key message from this case is that there is no statute of limitations for the criminal prosecution of child sex abuses. And this allows victims to report these very serious offences at any time in their life. It’s important that people who have experienced child sex abuse, maybe many decades ago, know that they still have a right and a pathway to justice. There is no such thing as too long ago. In fact, 3 in 10 survivors will only tell another person what happened to them 5 years or more after the offence took place, so a long gap between the offence and reporting is absolutely normal and expected.

“The conviction and sentencing is down to the endurance and determination of the survivors, the swimming community and all their family and friends who sustained them over such a long period of time. We also recognise the podcast series ‘Where is George Gibney’ released in 2020, created by the podcasting team in Second Captains. This podcast brought George Gibney’s offences to public attention once more. This was a really dogged and painstakingly researched piece of radio which, along with the efforts of the criminal justice system, made sure George Gibney couldn’t hide from the truth and live out his life free from accountability for his awful crimes against some of our country’s best young athletes.”
 

ENDS

Notes for Editors

 

1. Dublin Rape Crisis Centre is a non-governmental, voluntary organisation which has as its mission to prevent the harm and heal the trauma of rape. It offers a suite of services to victims/survivors of sexual violence. It also offers a wide range of training and education to professionals and volunteers.  
2. You can donate towards Dublin Rape Crisis Centre’s work on www.drcc.ie/donate
3. DRCC services and work: 
• DRCC operates the National 24-hour Helpline 1800 778888 to support anyone affected by sexual violence in any part of the country. A webchat support service is available online at drcc.ie Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm. A Helpline Interpreting Service is available for those who do not speak English - more at https://bit.ly/DRCClang
• For those contacting the Helpline who are deaf or hard of hearing, we provide a text service, operating Mon-Fri from 8am to 6:30pm, at 086-8238443 and we also have a webchat service available Monday-Friday, 10am to 5pm, except holidays.
• Information on your options after sexual violence is available for free online at any time at www.drcc.ie/fyw in the Finding Your Way after Sexual Violence guide.
• DRCC offers counselling & therapy to adult survivors of sexual violence and to older adolescents from 16 years of age with parental/guardian consent.
• We provide accompaniment support for the Rotunda Sexual Assault Treatment Unit, to court or to Garda stations to people in Dublin and in surrounding areas, by arrangement.   
• We have outreach offices at Coolock, Dóchas Women’s Centre, Balbriggan & Tallaght. Access to these services must be arranged via the National Helpline 1800 778888 during working hours, Mon-Fri.   

We ask that when reporting on this topic, journalists should remember that discussions on sexual violence can trigger personal trauma in those receiving the information. Where possible, please make reference to the National 24-hour Helpline 1800 77 88 88  for anyone who may be affected by the discussion.