Former swim coach guilty of sexual assault

A 48-year-old former Olympic swimming coach from Co Wexford has been found guilty of sexual and indecent assault against young boys.

Ger Doyle, who is originally from Wexford town, was found guilty of 34 charges of indecent assault and one charge of sexual assault.

Doyle, who had denied the charges, was part of the Irish coaching team at the Athens Olympics in 2004.

The jury of seven men and five women returned the guilty verdicts after a six-day trial before Judge Alice Doyle at Wexford Circuit Court.

The offences occurred between January 1981 and December 1993. Doyle assaulted five boys aged between ten and 15 over those years.

During the trial, the complainants referred in evidence to incidents of a sexual nature that took place at the swimming pool in New Ross where they were being coached by Doyle.

Some of the complainants described themselves as being absolutely petrified when the assaults took place.

One of the witnesses said he did not understand the meaning of the sexual demands being placed on him by the accused because he was so young.

Doyle had denied the allegations made against him during the course of his lengthy evidence over a two-day period.

He told the court: 'I would rather have died from my illness rather than to have to sit here and go through this and listen to these allegations, which I don't know where they are coming from.

'I cannot understand them. It never happened to any child. I never touched a child in my life, nor did I ever physically punish any children.'

Doyle has been remanded in custody until January for sentencing. Afterwards, a number of his victims said they were relieved the ordeal was over.