O'Rourke caseFormer Irish international swimming coach Derry O'Rourke is due to remain in prison until his release date next March, because a 10-year sentence for rape is unaffected by recent developments in relation to statutory rape. However, he could seek to have a series of convictions for unlawful carnal knowledge set aside.
O'Rourke (59), married with six children, Edenderry, Co Offaly, was jailed for 12 years in January 1998 for sexual offences against young female swimmers he coached.
On that occasion at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court he pleaded guilty to 29 charges relating to 11 girls and covering offences of unlawful carnal knowledge of girls under the age of 15, and of sexual assault and indecent assault, from 1976 to 1992. The full indictment had 90 charges.
Judge Kieran O'Connor imposed sentences on 27 charges, totalling 109 years and made no order in relation to two charges. He sentenced O'Rourke to two terms of 12 years for unlawful carnal knowledge, one each of seven and five years and eight terms of six years for indecent assault, five terms of three years for sexual assaults, and 10 terms of one year for other indecent assaults. These sentences are running concurrently.
Under the longest of these sentences,12 years for unlawful carnal knowledge, he was due out of prison in February of next year. However, unlike other men serving sentences for unlawful carnal knowledge, he will not be eligible to seek early releaseas he is also serving a separate 10-year sentence for rape handed down last year.
In January of last year he was sentenced after pleading guilty at the Central Criminal Court to two charges of rape and two counts of indecent assault between 1975 and 1978 in relation to a victim at a Dublin school.
