Former sports coach faces 78 charges of historical sexual abuse against four children

A man in his 70s faces dozens of charges of indecent assault and attempted rape against four complainants who were aged between eight and 15 when the alleged offences occurred between 1971 and 1981.

Former sports coach faces 78 charges of historical sexual abuse against four children

A man in his 70s who once worked as a sports coach is standing trial at the Central Criminal Court, accused of sexually abusing four youngsters over a ten-year span in the 1970s and 1980s.

The defendant has admitted five counts of indecently assaulting one victim during a five-month stretch in 1976. He contests the remaining 73 indecent assault charges involving all four complainants, along with one attempted rape charge from 1976. Source: The Journal

At the time of the alleged crimes, the complainants ranged from eight to 15 years old. Prosecutors say the misconduct included forced oral sex, inappropriate touching, digital penetration, kissing and one attempted rape, occurring in various places.

Under cross-examination by Patrick Gageby SC, the first complainant was told the accused "fully accepts" he molested her inside his office for a minimum of five months, but insists nothing happened elsewhere. She rejected this account, recalling the man visiting her family residence on several occasions, including an instance where he climbed a ladder to help her father put up wallpaper.

Two former classmates of the first complainant also testified. One remembered that around age 13, the complainant disclosed that the coach had kissed her with his tongue and that she had performed oral sex on him. This friend said they discussed the matter repeatedly over roughly three months.

The second classmate stated the complainant initially spoke of the coach in warm terms, but this attitude later changed. She recalled the complainant describing how the man summoned her to his office, drew the blinds, demonstrated how to kiss him, and had her touch his genitals. In subsequent weeks, the complainant told them this progressed to oral sex.

Both classmates said the complainant confided only in them. They did not tell anyone else at the time, with one witness explaining they feared getting her "in trouble" and may have believed the pair were romantically involved.

Source: TheJournal.ie