Equestrian coach who raped 14-year-old girl is jailed for nine years by Cork court

A 69-year-old equestrian sports coach who groomed a 14-year-old girl – buying her sports equipment, paying her particular attention to advance in the sport, and buying her alcohol – before raping and sexually assaulting her over a four-month period was jailed today for nine years.

Ms Justice Siobhán Lankford said at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork today that the huge age disparity between the young girl and William Connolly of Greenlands, Rathcoursey, Midleton, who was 62 at the time, was an aggravating factor.

“These crimes were a gross breach of trust. Given that he was her coach and she was a young woman very enamoured of horses, and relying on her passion for horse-riding to make sure she would co-operate with him.

“He was in a position of authority. He clearly took advantage of her love of horses and her desire to do well in competitions,” 

Ms Justice Lankford said.

Setting a headline sentence at eleven years, the judge considered possible grounds for reducing the sentence but said: “There was no plea of guilty, no acceptance of the verdict of the jury. Those factors are not available. I will take into consideration his health problems, his age and his previous good character and reduce the headline sentence to nine years.” 

A jury reached unanimous guilty verdicts on December 17 2025 on three counts of rape, two of oral rape, one sexual assault and one count of exploitation of a child for the purpose of sexual activity.

The injured party said in her victim impact statement: “When I was 14 years old William Connolly was my coach. He groomed me and sexually assaulted me for a long time. I never saw it like that. I accepted that it was just the situation I was in.

“Up until I saw him again on the first day of the trial, I felt sorry for him. I felt sorry that I was putting him through this. Putting his family through this. 

"But when he went up onto the stand and I had to listen to him deny everything that we both know had happened, it was devastating for me. 

"To hear that he accused me of coming onto him and that all I had said was fantasies and lies made me realise that after all this time I didn't feel bad anymore.” 

The case came to light when the complainant’s mother found two texts from the then 62-year-old man on her 14-year-old daughter’s phone: “If you are my baby you get everything. Only one catch. I want to own that (vagina) of yours. Agree and you get everything; “I want to poke, that is the deal.” 

The defendant admitted sending the texts but denied all charges which related to a period between August and December 2019. The young woman said she was sexually assaulted, first during the sporting activity, by the defendant touching her vagina outside her clothing, and that it developed from there to more serious sexual acts. The evidence was that he gave the 14-year-old cider and sexually assaulted and raped her.

The judge praised the clarity, courage and resilience of the injured party who is now 21. “I am very glad she is moving on with her life. As she said herself she will not let Mr Connolly take away her future.”

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