Former Irish Olympic Coach Ger Doyle was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison today for sexually assaulting five boys at the swimming pool he managed.
Wearing a gray suit and a baby blue jumper, Doyle (49), who was convicted on 34 counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual assault on November 4th by jury, stood impassive as Ms Justice Alice Doyle sentenced him for his crimes.
Doyle, of Emmet Place, Wexford Town, was acting national coach at the Athens Olympics in 2004 and involved in training many successful Irish swimmers.
He was also manager of New Ross swimming pool for over two decades, where the incidents occurred between January 1981 and December 1993.
Mr Roderick O’Hanlon SC, prosecuting for the DPP, said Doyle had assaulted five boys aged between 10 and 15 over those years, some of whom he was involved in coaching.
Sgt Mary Murphy from New Ross Garda Station said Doyle took measurements of his victims’ penises. She said the children were often abused after they were found to have been misbehaving in the swimming pool.
Mr John O’Kelly BL, defending, said his client has no previous convictions. He said he lived with his sister Ann and that his parents are deceased.
Mr O’Kelly said his client has suffered from health problems since 2000 and will remain on medication for the rest of his life.
Ms Justice Doyle said the defendant breached the trust of children under his care and of their parents.
“He used his position to sexually assault these children. These crimes were done with premeditation. They were carefully planned. They required secrecy...These children were put under pressure to keep these crimes a secret,” Ms Justice Doyle said.
She said having to give evidence in the six day trial caused further trauma to Doyle’s victims.
She added: “There appears to be a complete absence of insight or remorse. There has been a failure to express any element of the consequences of his conduct and that is extremely worrying.”
Ms Justice Doyle sentenced the defendant to nine months in jail on the sexual assault count, saying it was at the lower end of the scale in terms of its severity.
She sentenced him to a consecutive nine months for indecently assaulting one of his victims whom he smacked; and gave Doyle two 18 month sentences for indecent assaulting two of his victims to run consecutively; and a two year consecutive sentence for abusing one of his victims over seven years.
She also ordered him to complete a four year post release supervision programme. The sentence was backdated to the day of his conviction in November.
Ms Justice Doyle ordered Doyle to attend the Probation and Welfare Services, adding that this may give him some insight into his behaviour and protect the community from any chance that he might reoffend.