'You broke the soul of a child'– sports coach is told by girl he raped

The Kerry sports coach and now convicted paedophile rapist was told today by a girl he raped, “You didn't coach me or teach me, instead you hunted me, you abused me as a child, brutalising me with verbal, mental, physical and sexual abuse – you broke the soul of a child.” 

The powerful and disturbing victim impact statement was read by Detective Garda Darragh McGuire on behalf of the woman who was raped and repeatedly sexually abused by the 63-year-old.

“You normalised this behaviour. You used your position as my coach/mentor/teacher to manipulate and force me to do things no teenager should ever have to do. You were 40 years older than me and I was a child.

“You twisted my reality so profoundly that I became a stranger to my own family. You drove a wedge between me and my parents, making me believe that you were the only one I could trust, even as you were the one actively destroying me. I was trapped in a prison of your making, isolated and alone from those who truly cared for me. You twisted my relationship with my family to isolate me.

“I was a shell of a person, non-functional, drowning in nightmares that woke me multiple times a night. My mind was so consumed by the trauma you inflicted that I could not focus on my future. For the last five years my energy has been bled dry by the memories of your abuse... You were "inside my head," criticising my every move, demeaning my efforts even when I succeeded. I was constantly trying to please you to excel in the (sport).

“You set your control from early on setting the scene for example with the open-handed slap to my face when I was just 13. I had no awareness at the time of the damage being caused as I was isolated by you from family and friends and lost out on normal teenage years and the normal teenage experiences and thoughts. You wrecked my confidence. You were always pushing boundaries, normalising sexual talk.

“The trial was mentally draining and has left me exhausted as you forced me to relive the trauma of the events under your control. The double trauma of the abuse itself and trial is going to have a massive impact on my life.

I will move on with my life knowing I stood up for the 13-year-old me. I am grateful to the Judge and the court process as I feel my voice has been heard. I want to thank the victim support staff, the gardai and legal team for their tenacity, sensitivity and kindness through this process.” 

On May 1 the sports coach was found guilty by the unanimous decision of a jury of seven men and five women of raping this girl three times, orally raping her nine times and sexually assaulting her nine times, and sexually assaulting the second victim nine times. 

They were aged from 15 to 17 at the time of the sexual crimes against them.

Ray Boland defence senior counsel said today on the 63-year-old’s behalf: “He does not accept the verdict of the jury so I cannot express his remorse. All I can say in mitigation is he has a good history of hard work… he has no relevant previous convictions and I would ask the court to be as lenient as possible.

Ms Justice Siobhán Lankford who heard the trial said she needed to consider the evidence and the victim impact evidence and remanded the defendant in custody for sentencing on June 3.

Det Garda Raleen Bell said that the 63-year-old texted messages to one victim that included:

“I hope you are not out to hang me. Keep your mouth shut and we will be fine.” “I could kidnap you.” “Delete this shite.” 

The judge will also consider the victim evidence read today by Det Garda McGuire on behalf of the second victim, referred to in the nine sexual assault charges: 

“You filled me with dreams and hopes of becoming "the next big thing" and then used those hopes to manipulate and control me. The psychological and sexual abuse I experienced at your hands has affected me deeply and continues to affect me to this day.

“You knew exactly how much (the sport) meant to me, and you used my passion, ambition, and trust to gain control over me. You were an adult in a position of power and influence, and I was a child who trusted you completely.

“You repeatedly told me I was weak, trying to convince me that I would never be able to stand up for myself or succeed without you. You chipped away at my confidence for years so that I would doubt myself and depend on your approval. 

"Standing here today, I want to say that you were wrong about that, just as you were wrong about many other things you believed about me. I now realise that weakness was never found in the children you targeted, but in a grown man who needed control over them in order to feel powerful.

“You took my energy, interest and enthusiasm and hi-jacked it for your own self-gratification. You left me very depressed for a long time. I am fighting an ongoing battle to get over what you did to me, to move on with my life and be confident and happy.

“To this day you have denied responsibility for your actions and there has been no apology. You have shown no remorse and no understanding of the severe human damage you have done. My family has been seriously affected also as my parents and grandparents have had to deal with fact that they trusted you with their daughter grandchild and you abused that trust.

“I have been absolutely traumatised by the trial experience and have felt sick and disgusted as I have related the events that you deny ever happened. I did not eat for the week of the trial and was consumed with anxiety and fear. It was like reliving the abuse and brought it all up again.

“Despite everything you did to break me down, I am still here. I am still rebuilding my confidence, and still moving forward without fear and without your control over my life anymore.”