Irish TV host and child camp founder Domhnall O Lubhlai never stood trial for 11 sexual abuse charges, Gymnastics coach who sexually abused seven girls as young as six walks free from court as judge accepts his 'remorse' despite attempts to blame victims

Irish TV host and child camp founder Domhnall O Lubhlai never stood trial for 11 sexual abuse charges
Language activist and Irish college founder dubbed “Ireland’s Jimmy Savile” was up on 56 horrific charges  By IrishCentral Staff Writers,  Tuesday, April 9, 2013

The Irish language activist and TV host Domhnall O Lubhlai (84) died before facing sexual abuse claims. O Lubhlai, the founder of one of Ireland’s largest Irish colleges, Colaiste na bhFiann, and the presenter of a TV show on RTE, has been dubbed “Ireland’s Jimmy Savile” due to the allegations against him....

In 2000 O Lubhlai was charged with the molestation of 11 children. O Lubhlai faced 56 charges of sexual assault, buggery and attempted buggery. Five men testified that they had been abused....

However the trial collapsed due to the fact that the accused claimed he was on medication during his interviews with detectives, in 1998 and 1999. Last January a former Irish college student made a fresh complaint against O Lubhlai. He claimed O Lubhlai abused him between the ages of 12 and 15, during the mid-1970s....

The police were compiling a report and witness statement when O Lubhlai was found dead at his Mullingar home, County Westmeath....

Although there were 11 complaints against him in 2000 it was believed that there may have been other victims during his 30 years as a teacher.  His alleged crimes only came to light in the early 1990s when he reported that he was being blackmailed by a former student.  Until the end, O Lubhlai maintained his innocence and claimed his accusers were motivated by jealousy.

http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Irish-TV-host-and-child-camp-founder-Domhnall-O-Lubhlai-never-stood-trial-for-11-sexual-abuse-charges-202093361.html    

Gymnastics coach who sexually abused seven girls as young as six walks free from court as judge accepts his 'remorse' despite attempts to blame victims

    Bob Bellew admitted a string of sexual abuse charges spanning 40 years
    Was handed 15-month prison sentence suspended for two years
    Judge said offences were 'not specimens of a course of conduct'
    She said 'punishment has in effect already begun'
    Sentence slammed as 'everything that is wrong' with British justice system
    'You get six months for taking your husband’s speeding points,' say victims
    Bellew had 'passed the blame onto his victims' in a probation report

By James Rush  12 April 2013

An internationally renowned gymnastics coach who sexually abused seven girls as young as six over a 40-year period has walked free from court. Bob Bellew, 66, has published books on gymnastics, taught at schools across the UK and was a former Community Coach of the Year.

He also served on committees planning the 2012 Olympics and was chief coach of the Tower Hamlets Schools gym and dance display team.  Bellew was also awarded the 'Order of the Smile', a UN-recognised citation for adults 'distinguished in their love, care and aid of children'.

But he admitted a string of sexual abuse charges, spanning 40 years, against girls he was tutoring....

She described two sets of allegations, the first in the 1970s, and the second in the 1990s and early 2000s. She said: 'The offences would not have occurred but for the position of trust held by the defendant as a gymnastics coach, which gave him access to the victims who were young and therefore vulnerable.'

Bellew  was due to stand trial in September after pleading not guilty to a number of offences in April last year.  However, the second set of allegations came to light after the victims read news reports of the pending court case and contacted police.
Bellew admitted eight of 17 charges against him, involving seven victims as young as six years old....

However in a probation report he backed down from his admissions, denying the touching was sexual and passing the blame onto his victims. His lawyer Barry Kogan said: 'He has had great difficulty coming to terms with the shame of what he has done, and this is demonstrated by what he has told the probation officer, trying to deny his actions, pass them off as inappropriate not sexual, and blame the victims.'....
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2307610/Bob-Bellew-Gymnastics-coach-sexually-abused-girls-young-walks-free-court-judge-accepts-remorse-despite-attempts-blame-victims.html