Ex-sports instructor faces trial over alleged decade-long abuse of minors
A 79-year-old former athletics instructor is facing trial at Ireland's Central Criminal Court, accused of sexually abusing four children across a ten-year span in the 1970s and 1980s.
Ex-sports instructor faces trial over alleged decade-long abuse of minors
A 79-year-old former athletics instructor is facing trial at Ireland's Central Criminal Court, accused of sexually abusing four children across a ten-year span in the 1970s and 1980s.
The pensioner, whose identity is protected by court order, denies 73 charges of indecent assault and one charge of attempted rape. He has, however, accepted guilt on five separate counts of indecently assaulting one victim during mid-1976.
Court papers indicate the alleged wrongdoing spanned from 1971 to 1981, with the girls involved being between 10 and 15 years old. The prosecution claims the misconduct ranged from unwanted kissing and touching to more serious acts including digital penetration, coerced oral sex, and an attempt at intercourse.
One of the accusers, appearing as the third witness, told the panel she first encountered the defendant when she was about eight or nine. At that stage, she said, he was simply one of her trainers and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Over time, however, she noticed him becoming more attentive toward her.
She explained that because her mother and father lived apart, she often walked home alone after practice. The man began regularly giving her rides, she said. According to her testimony, the first assault happened inside his vehicle when he stopped the car, moved toward her, and kissed her with his tongue. She recalled him asking if she had ever been kissed before and saying he could teach her.
She estimated these encounters occurred roughly once or twice monthly, sometimes in the vehicle and sometimes inside the training facility. She went on to describe additional acts she said he committed, including touching her inappropriately, penetrating her with his fingers, forcing her to touch him, and making her perform oral sex. She told the court she had no understanding of sex at that age and described the experiences as strange and unsettling.
The witness said the worst incident took place at a 1975 summer camp when she was 12. She testified that he led her to an isolated room and tried to force himself on her. When she complained of pain, she said, he made her stimulate him manually instead. She never went back to the camp after that day.
Another witness, a younger sibling of two other complainants, said she too had taken part in the same sport, though less seriously, from about age six to eleven. She told the defence she could not say how often the man visited their home, but she remembered her sporting activities ending around age eleven without explanation.
A former employee of the training facility also testified, confirming the accused worked there as a trainer and was involved in coaching the first two complainants.
The hearing is ongoing.
Source: RTÉ News
Source: RTÉ News