A jury in the trial of a school soccer coach has heard that the complainant told her partner of the abuse in 2012.
The 61-year-old Dublin man pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to 30 counts of sexual assault, four counts of defilement, one count of rape and one count of anal rape at unknown locations within the State on dates between September 2007 and February 2010.
The complainant in the case was aged between 15 and 18 at the time of the alleged offending, while the accused man was aged between 45 and 47.
The partner of the complainant gave evidence that she told him about the alleged abuse at the hands of her sports coach in 2012. The man, who was travelling for work, said he spoke with his partner on the phone, and she said: “I have something to tell you.”
The man described how he had to ask her a thousand times what she wanted to tell him, and he said she just kept saying “sorry”. The woman told him she had been abused by the accused and that this had happened before they had got together as a couple.
He said she did not go into detail about the alleged assaults as she was crying. She did describe that some of the assaults took place in his car and that the accused had picked her up after a night out and had driven her to a remote area and got on top of her.
The woman told her partner that the alleged abuse happened when she was in school and had become sexual when she was 15 years old.
The witness said that before he knew about the alleged abuse, the accused man had wanted to meet him. He said the accused came to watch some of his soccer matches.
The witness further described an incident when the accused turned up at his own family home to see his partner.
He brought doughnuts and a gift card and said he wanted to apologise to the woman over an argument they had. When the woman heard his voice, she ran to an upstairs bedroom, held the door closed and began screaming. The man then put his hand on the accused’s shoulder and asked him to leave.
A second witness told the jury that he had dated the complainant in this case for one year and that he also knew the accused man through soccer. He described how one day, when he and the woman were at her home, they heard a noise at the letterbox. The woman went out and found a letter had been hand-delivered.
The woman opened the letter and told her then-partner that it was from the accused. The man thought at first she was messing. He told the jury that in the letter, the accused said he loved her.
The man called the accused, but he did not answer his phone. Later that day, he called him back and they agreed to meet.
When the two men met, the witness asked the defendant what he was doing and said that “she (the complainant) was younger than his own kids.” He told him to “cop on” and not to do it again.
Garda Sergeant Stephen Mc Donald gave evidence on Thursday that the accused man attended for arrest by appointment in May 2020.
He was arrested and cautioned and was interviewed three times. Throughout all three interviews, he denied having any sexual relationship with the complainant prior to her turning 18.
During the interview, the man said he began a six-month sexual relationship with the girl when she was 18 years old and in college. He said the relationship fizzled out, and they stayed in contact until 2019.
The sergeant asked the man during the interview if he ever had anal sex with the complainant, to which he replied, “No.” He also said repeatedly during all three interviews that he was “never in a hotel” with the complainant.
The trial continues before a jury with Ms Justice Eileen Creedon presiding.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help.
