Former swimming coach released from prison

Former Irish international swimming coach Derry O'Rourke was released early yesterday morning from the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise.

Mr O'Rourke (59), who had served nine years of a 12-year sentence for sexual offences against young female swimmers, left prison after breakfast at about 8am.

He is to be subject of supervision by the probation service for the next eight years and must sign in at a Garda station once a week. His name is also to be placed on the sex offenders' register.

Mr O'Rourke, Edenderry, Co Offaly, is married with six children. He was jailed for 12 years in January 1998 for sexual offences against young swimmers he had coached. A number of compensation claims taken by his victims against the swimming authorities, previously called the Irish Amateur Swimming Association, now called Swim Ireland, have yet to be settled.

However, a spokesman for Royal and Sun Alliance, which insures Swim Ireland, said he was unable to comment on any of the cases as they were ongoing. Drury Communications which acts for Swim Ireland also said it was precluded from comment for legal reasons.

Ellen O'Malley-Dunlop, chief executive of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, said it was important that people knew O'Rourke would be under supervision for the next eight years and would be on the register of sex offenders.

However she said the victims should have been told on a number of occasions, in a sensitive manner over the last year, that O'Rourke's release was pending.

"Derry O'Rourke was sentenced for a load of offences many ranging over different numbers of years. Who among the witnesses was going to sit down and figure out what the release date would be?"

Ms O'Malley-Dunlop called for a change to future arrangements for the release of convicted sex offenders to include informing the victims.

She said her organisation was "anxious that people like him should have a risk assessment before he was released".