resignation | 

Judge convicted of sex abuse of six young men paid €440k while awaiting trial

Thurles native Gerard O’Brien had continued to receive a monthly salary of €14,796

Today at 19:17

A Circuit Court judge who resigned from the bench yesterday two weeks after he was convicted of the sexual abuse of six young men received more than €440,000 in salary payments while awaiting trial.

Thurles native Gerard O’Brien had continued to receive a monthly salary of €14,796 despite not having sat on the bench since charges were first filed against him on June 25, 2021.

Throughout this period, however, his €177,554 salary was unaffected, as a judge’s remuneration and conditions can only be affected by Dail resolution.

This means that since O’Brien first appeared in court on the abuse charges, he has received salary payments totalling €443,885.

However, in a statement issued yesterday, the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, confirmed the judge had conveyed his resignation to her, effective from Friday.

In a statement, the Department of Justice said: “The resignation has been conveyed to the President in accordance with the requirements of section 6 (2) of the Courts (Establishment and Constitution) Act 1961.

“The Minister will be making no further comment on this matter prior to the court finalising the case by sentencing, which is adjourned to March 4.”

O’Brien was convicted three days before Christmas of the sexual abuse of the six men almost 30 years ago.

Earlier this week and following on from coverage in last weekend’s Sunday World, Sinn Féin’s justice spokesperson, Pa Daly, called for O’Brien’s removal from the bench in a letter sent to the Judicial Council.

He asked the Council, an independent body that oversees judicial standards, if it had “taken any decision as to whether it has any role, or will be taking any role, in any disciplinary investigation process concerning Judge O’Brien”.

Mr Daly added that if the judge did not resign, “the relevant machinery to remove him should be commenced”.

O’Brien’s conviction and subsequent unmasking as a sexual predator earlier led to Justice Minister Helen McEntee issuing a statement confirming she had contacted the Attorney General on how best to proceed in terms of his removal from the bench.

She confirmed she was considering the options open to the Government and the Oireachtas.

O’Brien, who is missing both hands and a foot as a result of the rare health condition phocomelia, pleaded not guilty in the Central Criminal Court to one count of attempted rape and eight counts of sexual ­assault in relation to six complainants, some of whom were his students.

His four-week trial was told the offences occurred on dates between March 1991 and November 1997 at locations in Dublin.

He was in his 30s while his victims were aged between 17 and 24.

O’Brien was teaching in a secondary school at the time of the alleged assaults, and four of the complainants were students.

The other two complainants knew him from his hometown.

When approached by the Sunday World after his conviction, the disgraced judge, now a registered sex offender, said he had avoided much of the reaction and commentary in the wake of his trial.

“I haven’t been reading it,” he said.

When asked whether there was any comment he would make in light of the verdicts against him, O’Brien said: “I’m devastated for everybody. I’m just devastated for all involved.”