Ex-judge is facing jail for sex abuse
O’brien convicted of attacks on 6 young men as teacher
A FORMER circuit court judge has been told he is likely facing a custodial sentence after being convicted of the sexual abuse of six men.
Gerard O’brien, 59, was found guilty last December at the Central Criminal Court of one count of attempted rape and eight counts of sexual assault in relation to six victims.
The offences occurred at locations in Dublin between March 1991 and November 1997.
O’brien was a teacher in Dublin and was aged between 27 and 33 at the time. The victims, four of whom were students or former students, were then aged between 17 and 24.
The victims had indicated they wished O’brien to be named but to maintain their anonymity.
Mr Justice Alexander Owens yesterday said his provisional view is that he will impose a custodial sentence when he finalises the case on May 29.
He asked for a report from the Irish Prison Services in relation to the facilities that would be available to O’brien and remanded him on continuing bail until then.
The pervert pleaded not guilty to all the allegations. He resigned as a Circuit Court judge in January, having been appointed to the position in 2015.
Gda Insp Jonathan Hayes told prosecutor Anne Marie Lawlor that five of the six victims woke up to find O’brien performing sexual acts on them they had not consented to.
One said O’brien “betrayed me to my inner core”.
O’brien was born with the congenital condition phocomelia, a side effect of the drug Thalidomide. It resulted in him being born with no upper limbs and missing one lower limb.