Former sports coach accused of sexually abusing four girls 'exploited his authority'
The man pleaded not guilty to the 74 counts against him, comprising 73 counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted rape. File picture
A former sports coach who is accused of sexually abusing four girls up to 55 years ago “exploited his position of authority” in relation to children “entrusted in his care”, his trial has heard.
The man, who is in his 70s and cannot be named for legal reasons, went on trial on Tuesday charged with 74 counts of sexually abusing four girls in the 1970s and 1980s. He has pleaded not guilty to 73 counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted rape.
The offences are alleged to have occurred in various locations in the State on dates between 1971 and 1981 when the complainants were aged between 10 and 15 years old, the court heard.
The man pleaded guilty before the jury to a further five counts of indecently assaulting one of these complainants on dates between May and September 1976.
In his opening address to the jury, James Dwyer, prosecuting, said the alleged abuse took place in various locations including changing rooms, in the accused man's car, in some of their beds, in a derelict house in the case of one complainant, and in the man's own home in relation to another who was babysitting his children.
He said the jury would hear evidence the alleged abuse took the form of kissing, inappropriate touching, digital penetration, forced oral sex and — in relation to one complainant — attempted rape.
Prosecution counsel said the man “exploited his position of authority... and sexually abused these young girls who were entrusted in his care”.
The first complainant took the stand on Tuesday afternoon and outlined to prosecuting counsel how the man was her coach and visited her parents' house now and then.
He sometimes gave her and her sister — another complainant in the case — lifts to training and she babysat for him occasionally, the court heard.
The man has pleaded not guilty to 29 counts of indecent assault in relation to this complainant on dates between 1975 and 1977. The guilty pleas he entered are in relation to her.
The woman said the man first abused her at a disco, during which she said he took her by the hand, led her to an office in the building, pushed her against the desk and hugged and kissed her, putting his tongue in her mouth and touching her bottom. She said she was about 13 at the time.
When asked how she felt, the woman said: “I didn't know how I felt. Back in those days, at that age, you didn't know anything about anything.”
She went on to outline a number of incidents in which the man allegedly abused her, including in her bedroom at night, in the car on the way to training when her sister was sitting in the back seat, in his office, around the sports complex and in his home when she was babysitting his children.
She said it mostly occurred in his office, which had a lock on the door. The court heard the alleged abuse “varied” but included kissing, hugging, inappropriate touching and forced oral sex.
The court heard the man allegedly abused the girl on one occasion in his bedroom while his wife was downstairs and on another occasion in his office when her mother was parked outside waiting for her.
She said that if his phone rang, he would still “hold on” to her and not let her go while he had a conversation.
The court heard the alleged abuse occurred over a “reasonably prolonged period” and could occur a few times in a month.
When asked by counsel who was taking the lead, the woman said: “He was. I didn't know what I was doing... I was very obedient.”
She said it was a time when “if an adult told you to hop, you hopped. You did as you were told.”
When asked how it came to an end, the woman said it “petered out” when she was around 14. She said she told two of her friends about it, but never told anyone else until she went to gardaí in 2020.
She outlined how she decided to make a statement after her sister told her she was going to go to gardaí.
“It made me think,” the woman said, adding she hadn't wanted to do anything about it while her parents were alive.
“It would have hurt my mother awfully and indeed my father... My mother was dead. My father was actively dying. I thought, now is the time.”
The trial continues before Mr Justice Mícheál O'Higgins and a jury, with the woman expected to be cross-examined by defence counsel on Wednesday.
In relation to the second complainant, the man has denied two counts of indecently assaulting her on dates between 1975 and 1977.
In relation to the third complainant, he has denied 41 counts of indecently assaulting her and one count of attempted rape on dates between 1971 and 1975.
He has pleaded not guilty to one count of indecently assaulting the fourth complainant on a date between 1980 and 1981.
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