A victim of George Gibney has said he had “given up hope” the paedophile would ever be convicted. 

However yesterday, a jury concluded Gibey was guilty of attempted rape and abusing three other girls on various dates in the 1970s and 1980s. Gibney also pleaded guilty to five charges at the beginning of his trial. 

The 77, who was pushed into court in a wheelchair, will be sentenced at a later date. 

On The Claire Byrne Show, Chalkie White, who was also abused by Gibney, said he has “mixed” emotions, but felt relief that justice has been done. 

“This wasn't kind of a case where anything, you could feel satisfied at the end of everything,” he said. 

“A lot of people have been hurt, a lot of people have been damaged. 

“I think the only consolation really is, right now, that he's going to end up in jail. 

“For all the years that we chased him and for all the people that helped in that chasing, I really appreciate all that.” 

George Gibney. Picture by: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie.

Gibney was originally charged with sex offences back in the 1990s; however, they were thrown out by the High Court. 

It meant his victims would wait decades for justice and Mr White said he had “really given up hope” of a conviction. 

“We knew that he would be chased around the world, but never thought that he would end up back in Ireland and back in jail,” he said. 

“So, to the girls that actually were brave enough to come forward and not really say thank you very much because you saved us all.” 

There is, he added, a huge “relief” in knowing that Gibney will never hurt another child ever again. 

“All I have to deal with and manage now is him in my head for the rest of my life - he's never been out of it,” he said. 

“You don't forget things like that.” 

Mr White is a former national swimming champion and Gibney promised to help him in his sporting career. 

It was then that the grooming and abuse began. 

“I thought that I was the only person who had been impacted,” he recalled. 

“One of the times when I confronted George about it, I actually said, ‘I'm afraid that I'm going to say something and put me up in jail rather than you.’

“He denied that he ever did anything to me.” 

Mr White recalled feeling “devastated” when court proceedings were stopped in the 1990s, after which Gibney then fled to Scotland and then America. 

“For us, then we spent the rest of our lives just thinking, ‘Okay, that's it’,” he said.

“He went to Scotland, he went to the US; it was always swimming clubs, it was always younger people and it just went on.” 

With justice now served, Mr White plans to turn his attention away Gibney towards the things that bring him joy. 

“I've got my sons and my grandchildren that I really enjoy,” he said. 

“They make it all worthwhile and everything I do is for them.”

Main imag: George Gibney. Picture by: INPHO / Billy Stickland.