Convicted ex-judge could be jailed with healthcare assistant and disability provision

Gerard O’Brien was convicted of sexually assaulting six young men when he was a teacher

Gerard O'Brien was born without arms and with one leg as a result of the thalidomide drug being prescribed to his mother during pregnancy. File picture: IrishPhotoDesk.ie

A former judge with disabilities who was convicted of sexually assaulting six young men when he was a teacher could be held in a prison unit which will meet his needs, if he receives a custodial sentence in March, the Irish Examiner has learned.

In December, Gerard O’Brien was found guilty by a jury of the offences that occurred between March 1991 and November 1997 at locations in Dublin.