Goldman Sachs says Irish worker concealed court proceedings for child abuse

Ms O’Grady was aged between six and nine at the time, while he was aged between 13 and 17. Ms O’Grady waived her right to anonymity so her uncle could be named.

In court on June 28, Mr Justice McDermott said that had he been sentencing Mr O’Grady as an adult, he would have set a headline sentence of eight years. He reduced it to a headline sentence of three years and six months, noting O’Grady was a juvenile at the time of the offending.

He further reduced this to two years, taking a number of mitigating factors into account, including O’Grady’s lack of previous convictions, his guilty pleas, and the fact he has been assessed as at a low risk of re-offending.

Mr O’Grady, 33, was employed by the London office of Goldman Sachs until June when the bank became aware of his convictions.

In a statement to the Irish Examiner, a spokesperson for the bank said: “We were shocked to learn of Mr O’Grady’s appalling past offences and he is no longer employed by the firm. Our thoughts are with the victim.” 

The spokesperson added that Mr O’Grady concealed his criminal proceedings from the bank until last month, despite being required to disclose them.

“His employment ended once we became aware,” the spokesperson said.

According to the Financial Conduct Authority, the UK watchdog for financial services firms and markets, Mr O’Grady was involved with Goldman Sachs from September 2018 until June 26 2024. His exact role within the bank was not disclosed.

Mr O’Grady was certified to be in his role by Goldman Sachs, with the FCA only responsible for approving senior management functions in the industry.

Probation Services report

The judge noted a Probation Services report found O’Grady had demonstrated little insight or remorse. He maintained that he was very young himself at the time of the offending. The judge noted that while he was 13 years’ old when the abuse started, it continued for a prolonged period of time, ending when he was 17 years’ old.

The abuse occurred primarily at Ms O’Grady’s grandparents’ home in Mucklagh when she was being minded and where O’Grady was living with his parents at the time. It also occurred in her own home in Tullamore when he was babysitting her. His parents — her grandparents — continue to support him, the court heard.

The judge noted that O’Grady is “talented” and “well-educated”. 

“I have no doubt he knew what he was doing was seriously wrong,” he said.

He noted O’Grady had pleaded guilty to eight separate and serious offences of sexual assault of his niece. He said this was a clear and unambiguous acceptance of his guilt and “the truth of the matter”.

The court heard O’Grady worked in finance in Canada and most recently in London. He took the stand and told the court he was very sorry for what he had done. He has no previous convictions.

The judge declined to suspend any part of the sentence, noting O’Grady’s stated intention to return to the UK once he has served his sentence.

Victim impact statement

In her victim impact statement, which she read out in court, Ms O’Grady, now aged 26, said it has been 20 years since her uncle first started abusing her.

Ms O’Grady said she has suffered with depression, severe anxiety, stress, paranoia and self-harm as a result of the abuse she suffered at the hands of O’Grady.

In her victim impact statement, she said he was a “manipulator” who manipulated everyone around him and continued to lie about the abuse, even after he confirmed it in his social media messages to her.

She said she had been abused in her grandparents’ home where she should have been safe, and by someone she should have been safe with. “He manipulated everyone around me,” she said, adding she was the one made to feel like she was on trial.

“But Ronan O’Grady is the criminal here, not me.” 

Ms O’Grady’s grandparents have stood by their son and were in court to support him, along with his partner.