Former Irish swim coach George Gibney arrested in US after extradition request

Former Irish national swimming coach George Gibney has been arrested in the US on foot of an extradition request. The ex-Olympic coach, who is now in his 70s, was arrested by US Marshalls in Florida on Tuesday afternoon. It comes following an extradition warrant from gardaí as part of an investigation into alleged historical sex abuse. Gibney has been detained pending a court appearance in Florida where he will accede or contest his extradition. In 1993, the former coach at the Trojan swimming club in Dublin faced 27 charges of indecency against young swimmers. However, the prosecution was successfully halted. His lawyers argued there was a delay in the offences coming out and a lack of precision defining the specific alleged incidents. He then fled Ireland and spent some time in Scotland before moving to the US, where he has been living since. An investigation was then reopened by gardaí following a 2020 podcast documentary by BBC Sounds where more than a dozen new alleged victims came forward. Following the podcast, called Where is George Gibney?, a criminal investigation commenced and a file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) three years later. Last year, the DPP decided he should face charges in connection with allegedly abusing children that were in his care when he was a swimming coach. These charges are in relation to different instances of alleged abuse than the charges that Gibney faced in 1993. Gardaí then secured an extradition warrant in the High Court and it's understood they have been working with US authorities for six months. Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.

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