Former judge said he will likely face jail time after being convicted of sexual abuse

A former Circuit Court judge has been told he is likely to face a prison sentence after being convicted of sexually abusing six young girls almost 30 years ago.

Gerard O’Brien (59), of Old School House, Slievenamon Road, Thurles, Co Tipperary, was convicted last December at the Central Criminal Court of one count of attempted anal rape and eight counts of sexual assault in relation to six victims .

The offenses occurred at locations in Dublin between March 1991 and November 1997. O’Brien was a teacher at a Dublin secondary school and was aged between 27 and 33 at the time. The victims, four of whom were his students or former students, were then between 17 and 24 years old.

The six victims had previously indicated they wanted O’Brien to be named but remain anonymous.

Judge Alexander Owens said Monday that his provisional opinion is that he will impose a custodial sentence when the case ends on May 29.

He requested a report from the Irish Prison Services in relation to the facilities that would be available to O’Brien and placed him on continuing bail until the next date.

O’Brien pleaded not guilty to all charges. He resigned as a Circuit Court judge in January, having been appointed to the position in 2015.

Garda Inspector Jonathan Hayes told Anne Marie Lawlor SC, prosecuting, that five of the six victims woke up to find O’Brien performing sexual acts on them to which they had not consented.

Of these victims, four woke up to O’Brien performing oral sex on them, and the fifth said she woke up to O’Brien licking her face and pressing his penis against her buttocks.

One of these five victims also said that O’Brien attempted to anally rape him. The injured party’s last allegation concerned an act of masturbation in the bathrooms of a pub.

Three victim impact statements were presented to the court.

One victim said in her statement that O’Brien “betrayed me to the core of my being.”

O’Brien was born with a rare congenital condition, phocomelia, a side effect of the drug thalidomide. During the trial, O’Brien said in evidence that his mother was “convinced” she took the drug.

This condition caused O’Brien to be born without upper limbs and missing one lower limb. The court heard he needs help with everyday tasks, including going to the toilet. He has no prior convictions.

Mr O’Higgins asked the court to take into account all relevant personal and mitigating circumstances when determining the sentence.