A sentencing hearing for former Irish international swimming coach Derry O’Rourke, who was convicted earlier this month of raping and sexually assaulting a teenage girl 35 years ago, is to begin on Tuesday.
Derry O’Rourke (78) of Virginia Road, Cavan, had pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to one count of rape and 15 counts of indecent assault on dates between October 1989 and June 1990.
The complainant was between 13 and 14 years old at the time.
During the trial, the jury was directed by Ms Justice Melanie Greally to acquit O’Rourke of four of those charges, leaving the jury to consider one offence of rape and 11 charges of indecent assault.
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The jury returned its verdict on July 18th after five hours and 27 minutes of deliberations.
O’Rourke made no reaction as the 12 guilty verdicts were delivered.
O’Rourke is a convicted rapist, having been jailed for 12 years in January 1998 after he pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 29 offences involving 11 girls on dates between 1976 and 1992. The charges involved defilement, sexual assault and indecent assault.
In August 2000, O’Rourke was sentenced to four years in prison on 19 charges involving six girls. The indecent and sexual assaults took place on dates unknown between July 1970 and December 1992. One of the offences involved oral sex and the girls were aged between 10 and 19 years and were all being coached by him.
O’Rourke was jailed for 10 years in January 2005 after he pleaded guilty to two charges of rape and two counts of indecent assault on dates from 1975 to 1978 in relation to the victim. This sentence was backdated to March 13th, 2000.
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