Five years after the launch of the award-winning BBC 5 Live podcast Where Is George Gibney?, investigative journalist Mark Horgan has returned with a new bonus episode.
It includes an update on a major new development and the significance that the podcast has played in this case.
The BBC/Second Captains podcast examined the case of former Ireland Olympic swimming coach George Gibney, who has faced multiple allegations of child sex abuse dating back decades.
Its release in 2020 prompted renewed interest from authorities and from people who came forward with allegations against him.
The Gardaí, Ireland’s national police service, launched a new investigation into Gibney after the podcast was released.
The criminal inquiry was carried out by a specialist team within the Garda National Protective Services Bureau over several years, gathering evidence and statements from complainants.
A file was then sent to Ireland’s Director of Public Prosecutions, who recommended that Gibney be charged.
The process to extradite him from the United States began, where he has been living for more than 30 years. Court documents related to the extradition make direct reference to the BBC podcast and its role in gathering testimony.
Following his arrest and a court appearance on Friday, Gibney will now be extradited to Ireland to face seventy-nine new charges of child sex abuse. He is currently in the custody of US Marshals awaiting transfer.
In this short new episode, Mark Horgan discusses the significance of the arrest, what the next steps in the legal process will involve, and how the long-running investigation has reached this point.
Speaking in the episode, Horgan says: “The podcast led to a number of people coming forward with allegations they hadn’t spoken about before. It also kept public attention on the case, which was essential in ensuring it was properly investigated.”
The new update episode of Where Is George Gibney? is available now on BBC Sounds along with the full series, which explored the international efforts to bring Gibney to trial.
