Gerard O’Brien’s sexual assault and attempted rape convictions upheld

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

The Court of Appeal dismissed Gerard O’Brien’s appeal against his convictions for attempted anal rape and sexual assault on 10 July 2026.

A Central Criminal Court jury convicted the former Circuit Court judge in December 2023 of one count of attempted anal rape and eight counts of sexual assault involving six victims. The offences occurred in Dublin between March 1991 and November 1997, when O’Brien was a teacher. Four of the victims were his students or former students.

O’Brien pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

On 31 May 2024, Mr Justice Alexander Owens sentenced him to five years and nine months in prison, with the final 21 months suspended under strict conditions, leaving an effective four-year term. O’Brien was also made subject to a two-year post-release supervision order.

O’Brien argued on appeal that the trial judge’s directions to the jury were confusing and weighted against the defence. Presiding judge Tara Burns said the jury had been clearly instructed and that no error of law or misdirection arose. The appeal court also rejected a challenge to the refusal to order separate trials.