Derry O’Rourke convicted of rape after swim coach trial

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Derry O’Rourke was convicted of rape at the Central Criminal Court following a six-day trial, reported on 30 July 2024. The offence took place at a Leinster school.

The jury also convicted O’Rourke of 11 sexual assaults involving the complainant, who was aged 13 to 14 at the time. Four indecent assault charges had been removed from the indictment earlier in the trial.

The court heard that O’Rourke selected the girl for swim training and abused her in a room beside the pool. At the sentence hearing, the woman described the lasting effects of the abuse in a victim impact statement.

The judge remanded O’Rourke in continuing custody until the following day for sentencing.