Letters to the Editor: Conviction of judge should encourage other victims of sexual assault

Circuit court judge and former teacher Gerard O'Brien was convicted of one count of attempted anal rape and eight counts of sexual assault in the 1990s. Picture: Collins Courts
In a landmark case, Judge Gerard O’Brien was convicted in December of sexual assault on six young men. It is mostly a story of how the victims’ bravery outweighs all other elements within this sometimes unbelievable but very true set of events which the audacious judge has still not admitted to or apologised for.
The six people who came forward have paved the way for others to stand up in any situation where there is injustice, despite them having to relive some pretty uncomfortable and ‘embarrassing’ stuff — ultimately taking on the most powerful people in society, even when they may have felt they should back off, or might not be believed or listened to properly.