‘Distance yourself from his career’

A teenage soccer player lost his court case against his former club for psychological injury as the judge found that the boy’s coach was conscientious and the plaintiff’s father was “a caring parent not blessed with insight”.

Seán Cooke of Highfields, Ballea Rd, Carrigaline, who is now 18, brought the case against Carrigaline United as a result of how he was allegedly treated when he was aged around 13/14.

“This being a significantly emotional case,” Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin said. “At times it has been difficult to understand what is going on and what the sequence of evidence was. The plaintiff gave evidence, overwhelmed by emotion, totally convinced he suffered injury.”