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Gabriel Hyland attended Pearse Street Garda station and falsely claimed to be staying at a hostel. Alamy Stock Photo

Australian sex offender, 55, jailed for concealing whereabouts in Dublin

Gabriel Hyland was found guilty of two counts of failing to notify gardaí of his address.

AN AUSTRALIAN offender who repeatedly concealed his whereabouts in Dublin was handed a 10-month jail sentence today.

Gabriel Hyland, 55, once convicted by a Crown Court in Melbourne, was found guilty of two counts of failing to notify gardaí of his address in the city under the Sex Offenders Act.

He had been given a 10-month sentence in December for the same offence.

At Dublin District Court today, Judge John Hughes gave Hyland an additional 10-month sentence to run consecutively to his current jail term.

Hyland, who had pleaded not guilty, kept interrupting the judge and verbally abusing gardaí throughout his hearing, at one point shouting, “I’ve never committed a crime in the Republic of Ireland.”

The accused, clutching a bible, refused to let a solicitor act for him on legal aid and told Judge Hughes he could represent himself.

However, he did not testify or make legal submissions and spoke loudly from the dock.

Hyland claimed he was a professional boxer and runner in Australia from 18 to 28. He disputed that he could have had a record of a sexual offence in his home country.

Judge Hughes issued several warnings to Hyland about his constant loud commentary during the hearing.

His disruptions continued, resulting in Hyland being forcibly removed from the courtroom several times.

Garda Alan O’Dowd testified that on 28 August, Hyland attended Pearse Street Garda station and claimed to be staying at a hostel on Gardiner Street.

A follow-up check a week later revealed that he had not been there for the past four months.

Detective Sergeant Shane Noone of Store Street station confirmed the accused was on the sex offenders register, part of which requires a subject to update gardaí about any address changes.

The court heard officers had also reminded him of his obligation whenever he reported to a station.

Bridewell Garda Patrick Hynes stated that the accused named a hostel on 22 November 2022, but he would not sign a form to confirm that information.

Gardaí learned he had been staying in a different hostel in the city centre.

Details of his past offences in Australia were furnished to the judge. Aside from the mention of his Crown Court case, no more information about his past sex crime was divulged publicly in the hearing.

His 11 previous convictions in Ireland included one count of failing to tell gardaí his address under the Sex Offenders Act, failing to appear in court, and a breach of the peace.

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