Ex-GAA coach returned to Ireland to face almost 400 sex abuse charges

An ex-GAA coach accused of over 400 counts of sexual abuse has been extradited to Ireland by the US authorities, the Garda has confirmed.

The man, who is in his 30s, was put on a plane in Boston last night and arrived at Dublin Airport this morning in the custody of the Garda.

He is due to appear before a district court in the Midlands today to face 394 sexual abuse charges, including 210 of sexual assault and 177 of rape, relating to two children.

The abuse is alleged to have occurred at a GAA ground and at other locations between 2004 and 2009.

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An Irish district court issued a warrant for the man’s arrest in September 2017 and officials from the US Department of Homeland Security tracked him down to Albany, New York a year later.

The man, who left Ireland in 2013, attempted to fight his extradition on the basis the Irish authorities had not proved “probable cause”.

This argument was rejected by a US District Court judge in February which ruled there was “probable cause to believe that the crimes charged occurred and that the accused is responsible.

"The charges at issue derive from the claim that [the man] had a long-standing sexually abusive relationship with two young boys whom he had befriended, groomed, and exploited when they were between the ages of 12 and 19," Judge Daniel Stewart said.

He added the case involves a large number of witnesses and that the accused left Ireland before gardaí could question him.