Swimming Under The Radar

Fifteen years ago, Irish swimmers came forward and lodged complaints against their coach, George Gibney. They said he was a pedophile.

The statute of limitations came into play during his trial in 1994 and the case was dropped. Seventeen counts of sexual abuse were never prosecuted. With all of Ireland knowing what he'd done, trial or no trial, Mr. Gibney chose to decamp for America. As the national coach for Ireland, his face was too well known to even consider hiding in the land of his birth.

You'd think that someone so accused would be tangled up in the immigration safety net, but it's all based on the honor system and Mr. Gibney lied. Who wouldn't? Given the choice between an omission and deportation, it's not much of a puzzle.

At some point during his wanderings, he bought a condo in Orange City, Florida and thought he'd live a quiet life. Someone, however, figured out that the Irishman was not "Jon" but "George", and they let the neighbors know all about the accusations.

Very involved with the Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus was George Gibney. Hiding in plain sight, acting the part of a devoted parishioner. Who would think that such an upstanding looking fella would be a child molester?

He went to Peru, he said, a volunteer on a mission to treat the eyes of children. Evin Daly of One Child International isn't buying the charity aspect. He's noted that Peru is quite a popular destination for sex tourists interested in children.

The neighbors are keeping a close eye on the former swim coach, close enough to know that he's gone from home most weekends and they'd like to know where the man's off to. The police have him on their radar, his attempt to swim below detection having been spoiled.

Will the Knights of Columbus be stripping him of his ornamental sword and cape any time soon? Or will it be a case of forgive and forget, in keeping with the actions of Pope Benedict himself?