Convicted paedophile O’Rourke moves home after media exposé

CONVICTED paedophile Derry O’Rourke has moved home after the media exposed that he was living in a Wicklow town.

A Sunday newspaper revealed at the weekend that the former national swimming coach was living in Baltinglass.

His location had been a secret since his release from prison last March where he had served nine years of a 12-year sentence for the sexual abuse of children.

The media revelations caused fear and outragelocally and exposed O’Rourke’s identity, threatening his supervision by probation officers.

The 59-year-old is on an eight-year, post-releasesupervision order conducted by the Probation Service.

The issue has highlighted the problem faced by the State in placing and monitoring sex offenders in communities, particularly if the person is located by the media.

Sources confirmed to the Irish Examiner yesterday that O’Rourke was no longer living at his bungalow in the town.

It is understood he has been temporarily placed in accommodation elsewhere by the Probation Service, which now has the difficult task of finding another place to settle him.

Under post-release supervision orders, O’Rourke deals with one probation officer whose job it is toensure the former prisoner complies with his supervision conditions.

Under the order, the supervision has to be in Ireland, ruling out any possibility of O’Rourke lawfully residing abroad.

There are fears in care circles that similar media revelations could jeopardise the State’s ability to supervise sex offenders in the community.

O’Rourke was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 1998, seven years in 2001 and 10 years in 2005 for more than 30 sample rape and sexual assault charges relating to incidents involving a dozen young swimmers between the 1970s and 1990s. The sentences ran concurrently.